New rules to hit Airbnb advertising

JUST 22 applications were made in Dublin since 2019 for the planning permission needed for short-term lettings, as the Government plans to crack down on sites such as Airbnb advertising properties without it.

An amendment to current laws would make it an offence for both homeowners and websites to advertise properties in rent pressure zones as short term lets if they haven’t received the appropriate planning.

The Government intends the new rules to be in place from September 1. Under current rules, a person with a home in a rent pressure zone must apply to their local authority for planning to change the use of the property for tourism and short-term letting purposes. However, the Department of Housing confirmed to the Irish Daily Mail last night that just 22 applications were made across the four local authorities in Dublin since 2019. Of those planning applications, just six were granted.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said that he expects the new controls to ‘ease the pressure’ on the current rental market and to ensure that ‘homes are used to the best effect in areas of acute housing need’.