Planning regulation uncertainty fuels criticism of short-term let register delay

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

Ministers should “come out and tell us what is going on” with new planning policies, the opposition has said, after the introduction of a register for short-term lets was delayed by more than six months.

The register was due to be introduced by May 20th, but on Wednesday the Government confirmed it will come into effect from December 1st.

Anyone offering paid accommodation for up to 21 nights will be required to register each unit they rent out with Fáilte Ireland.

Accommodation providers will have to show they have planning permission, or are exempt from planning requirements, in order to register – but the planning rules around short-term lets remain unclear.

In April 2025, the Government set out proposals to generally prevent new planning permissions for short-term lets in cities and larger towns.

The Cabinet Housing Committee later proposed this would apply to towns and cities with populations of more than 20,000.

Short-term let owners will be legally required to have registered by December 31st, but the National Planning Statement and tourism bill which will set out the planning obligations for short term lets have yet to be published.

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said this “means everybody’s in this limbo and it’s caused enormous confusion”.

“The idea that they are delaying it until December and we still don’t know when the legislation and the planning policy statements are being published, is really, really concerning,” he said.

The housing and tourism ministers, James Browne and Peter Burke, “need to go out and tell us what’s going on”, he added.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage say: “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.”

Mr Ó Broin said it was unclear if accommodation providers would have to be planning compliant by the December 31st deadline.

He said: “There were rumours going around that you’d have to register, but you then be given two years to demonstrate planning compliance.”

There are also questions whether people operating outside planning laws for more than seven years would be immune from enforcement action, as they are for unauthorised developments.