Plans to introduce a long-awaited national register for short-term lets such as Airbnb have been delayed following a Cabinet row over late-stage amendments linked to planning law.
According to the Irish Independent, Enterprise and Tourism Minister Peter Burke had been due to present the Fáilte Ireland-managed register to ministers at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, but the item was pulled from the agenda at the last minute.
According to government sources, tensions arose when the Department of Housing sought to introduce unexpected changes to the proposals. These were understood to relate to new planning regulations that would be needed to enforce a planned ban on short-term rentals in towns and cities with populations over 10,000.
Minister Burke is said to have hesitated to bring the updated proposal forward without adequate time to examine the fresh changes, particularly as they fell outside the core remit of the Fáilte Ireland register.
The register itself is designed to improve transparency and oversight in Ireland’s booming short-term letting sector, amid growing concerns over housing availability in urban areas.
The wider Government plan includes new planning rules that would give local authorities more power to restrict or allow Airbnbs, depending on whether they are in densely populated urban centres or rural tourism hotspots. In particular, rural areas could be granted more flexibility in managing short-term lets to support local economies.
However, those planning law changes are technically separate from the Fáilte Ireland register and are expected to be brought forward by Housing Minister James Browne at a later stage.
The delay comes as pressure mounts on the Government to tackle housing shortages, especially in major cities, where short-term lettings are seen by some as contributing to the squeeze on long-term rental availability.
