The Irish Self-Catering Federation has reminded property owners to register as the deadline for compliance with new short term rental legislation approaches.
All short-term rental properties must be registered with Fáilte Ireland by April 2026 according to EU Commission mandates.
Once a register for short-term-tourist-letting legislation is enacted, property owners advertising short-term tourism accommodation for periods up and including 21-nights will have a statutory obligation to register their property with Fáilte Ireland.
The ISCF represents 6,000 self-catering units in Ireland, primarily run by small operators in rural areas.
The ISCF plans to submit their membership data in the first week of June to ensure proper representation of self-catering owners.
The Federation has warned legislators that the proposed bill seeks to force holiday home owners to abandon putting their properties up for short-term rental, on platforms like Airbnb, and turn them over to the long-term rental sector.
The bill is aimed at reducing short-term letting in rent pressure zones. It would see the creation of a Short-Term Letting register and require short-term rental properties to be registered with Fáilte Ireland.
Under the bill, properties offering accommodation for up to 21 nights will need to be registered and booking platforms will only be able to advertise properties with a valid Fáilte Ireland registration number.
The Department of Housing, using existing Fáilte Ireland data, has identified 10,731 properties offering short-term rentals in Ireland – including 1,858 in Kerry – deemed suitable to be long-term rentals.
Fáilte Ireland may levy a €300 fixed payment notice on owners who advertise their property without a valid registration number and also have the option to bring the case to the district court where the maximum fine is up to €5,000.
Máire Ní Mhurchú outlined that operators must hold a valid registration number to advertise short-term tourist accommodation: “Although planning concerns have to be resolved prior to the register being finalised, the ISCF supports the establishment of a register,” ISCF CEO Máire Ní Mhurchú said. “We are lobbying for a planning derogation for people who have been in the self-catering business for up to four years.
“Any operator offering accommodation on a short-term basis to tourists, referred to as ‘short- term tourist letting’ (STTL), will have to be registered on a register and hold a valid registration number issued by Fáilte Ireland. Therefore, if you are a self-catering owner, we encourage you to join the ISCF to benefit from our ongoing efforts to protect and promote your business interests. “The first week in June is a key date is a key date as we will hand in our data in that week. Our members will be joining the register, and it is important that people who making their living from the sector are properly represented,”
