Calls for action as data shows short-term lets outnumber homes to rent by 14 to 1

An analysis carried out by the Irish Examiner using data from Daft.ie and Inside Airbnb found that, across the country, there were just 1,299 properties available to let on Daft on Monday, compared to 18,086 short-term lets on Airbnb. Not all homes available for rent are advertised on Daft.

The lack of rental homes is particularly acute in Cork, with just 71 properties available to rent across the entire county, compared to 1,662 Airbnbs.

In Dublin, there are currently 4,611 Airbnbs across the county compared to 745 rental properties on Daft.ie.

All these figures exclude Airbnb postings that consist of single rooms in occupied houses.

A spokesperson for housing advice charity Threshold was critical of the high number of Airbnbs, saying that it was “hindering the supply of appropriate homes for renters”.

The Government has previously attempted to regulate the provision of short-term lets across the country, introducing requirements for homeowners to apply for planning permission to rent properties on Airbnb.

These restrictions only apply to homeowners in rent pressure zones who let out the entire home — whether it is their principal residence or second property — for short term lets of more than 90 days.

However, Cork City Council has received just seven planning applications from property owners for a change of use to short-term lets.

Local authorities are permitted to take legal action against homeowners who do not obey the regulations. However, Cork City Council has previously said it has not taken actions due to “successful engagement with property owners”.

Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman, Eoin Ó Broin, said that these rules created a “grey area”, with letting platforms continuing to profit despite planning permissions not being sought by homeowners.

“This has been a ‘grey area’ since 2020 as most properties do not have planning permission and Airbnb is profiting on this law-breaking and the Government are sitting on their hands,” he said.

Mr Ó Broin has called for the Government to introduce punitive measures against letting platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com to tackle the issue.

In particular, the Dublin Mid-West TD is calling for fines to be levelled against platforms if they host ads from property owners who do not have planning permission for short-term rentals.

“I don’t think we should let the platforms off the hook,” he said. “The idea that platforms are profiting off properties without planning permission is unacceptable.”

Mr Ó Broin said platforms should face daily spot fines, which should be valued above the level that the property owner rents out the property per night. He said that this would make it unprofitable for companies to keep hosts without planning permission on the platform.

In response, a spokesperson for Airbnb said: “We remind hosts, wherever they are, to check and follow the rules before they list their space and throughout the year.

“The majority of hosts on Airbnb in Ireland are everyday families who share their primary home and rent their space for just three nights a month on average.”

Data from Inside Airbnb shows there are 18,086 full homes or apartments and 9,036 private rooms listed for rent on Airbnb Ireland, with a total of 27,439 separate listings.

The Government is seeking to further regulate short-term lets through a proposed register, to be overseen by Fáilte Ireland. However, following Cabinet approval last year, the European Commission ruled that the proposal was too strict leaving it at a standstill.

The Department of Tourism is currently liaising with the European Commission over the proposal. It is estimated that the new regulations will be in place in 2024.