Tourist areas should be exempt from short term letting rules, says West Cork councillor  

Any new legislation to regulate the short-term letting market should exempt popular rural tourist areas like West Cork, says a local councillor.

The issue was raised by Schull-based Fine Gael councillor Caroline Cronin at a meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District. 

Ms Cronin said the housing minister should grant “a clear exemption or region-specific rule for popular holiday regions”, so holiday rentals, such as Airbnb, could continue while the policy was being reviewed.

“In West Cork, and indeed many other parts of the county, we rely on tourism to support local businesses and jobs. Hotel capacity is extremely limited and we certainly don’t have hotels 10-a-penny," she said.

"Particularly on our three peninsulas, there are many properties that are second homes, used for personal holidays and then rented out when not in use by owners. A blanket rule would really hurt rural communities and the local economy. A region-specific exemption and clear transition guidance are needed.”

Ms Cronin called on the council to write to the minister requesting an exemption for holiday regions, particularly West Cork. The Government is planning to clamp down on short-term lettings by introducing new regulations that would largely ban long-term tourist rentals in big towns and cities.

Under the stricter rules, homeowners in areas with more than 10,000 people would not be allowed to rent out their properties for more than 90 days a year, making it impossible for people to run short-term lets as a full-time business in these areas.

The new rules are expected to require anyone renting out their home for more than 21 days a year to register with Fáilte Ireland and display a valid registration number, with booking websites such as Airbnb and Booking.com monitored to make sure the rules are followed.

This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme