The new register for short-term lets being brought in as part of efforts to force more Airbnb-style properties back into the long-term rental sector will be delayed until December.
That is more than six months after the planned date of May 20th for it to come into force and means the register will not be in place for the busy summer tourism period.
The planned register would make it impossible for a property owner to access the main online short-term letting platforms without first registering with Fáilte Ireland.
To get on to the register, a property must have the appropriate planning permission. Many operators have been letting properties on a short-term basis without planning in place.
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The Irish Times reported last month that the planned register was facing a delay.
The plans have been the subject of much internal Government debate and there was concern at the proposals last year among some ministers from counties with a high level of tourism.
In response to a query from The Irish Times on the reason for the delay a Department of Enterprise statement said that the policies related to the short term letting register “are part of a broader Government strategy to tackle the housing shortage by ensuring that as many suitable properties as possible are available for long-term rental”.
It added: “Both Ministers are working together to identify a pathway which strikes a balance between returning properties to the long-term residential market, while protecting rural economies that rely heavily on tourism.”
It said: “A new National Planning Statement will be published shortly as will the Short-Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill, which will reflect relevant policy agreements.”
All operators have a legal obligation to register by December 31st, 2026, a statement on Wednesday said. It said Fáilte Ireland will be responsible for implementing and managing the national register, ensuring compliance with the EU short-term rental regulations. The statement added that under the new system, all short-term letting accommodation providers will be required to register with Fáilte Ireland and display their registration number on any listing or advertisement for their property.
In February, it was decided that new restrictions on short-term lets will only apply to towns and cities with populations of more than 20,000 people, as the Government abandoned a former plan to set a cap on populations of more than 10,000.
Before this change, Minister for Children Norma Foley and former Independent minister of state Michael Healy-Rae had opposed plans to cap short-term lets for large Irish towns, which would have affected those running short-term rentals in popular tourist towns such as Killarney.
More recently there have been signs of backbencher unrest over the plan.
Fianna Fáil backbencher James O’Connor said last month that as chairman of the Committee on Enterprise and Tourism he was very concerned about the legislation.
The Cork East TD said people may “find themselves having to go through enormous costs” to become compliant – either by getting planning permission, or if they have been active for more than seven years, retention permission which would allow them to continue operating even if not compliant.
The Irish Tourism Industry Confederation welcomed the deferral. Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, its chief executive, said: “It is important that we get this legislation right to give certainty to well-established tourism short-term let properties and businesses.
“More time is needed to develop fit-for-purpose planning guidelines and exemptions.“
On the delay, a Government source said ministers are “still working together to work through the application of the planning guidelines”.
The Irish Self-Catering Federation on Wednesday evening said it welcomed the delay. It said the delay was “is in line with other countries such as Austria and Belgium, where implementation of the register is being staggered throughout the EU. The register for STR is too important to SME family businesses to be introduced without clarity on planning. Ireland is currently the only country where planning compliance is being directly linked to the register for STR".
