Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill proposed by Senator Humphreys. It contains very progressive objectives to deal with what we know is a major obstacle to rentals, in particular in the city, namely, short-term rentals. Short-term letting and home sharing make a really valuable contribution to the tourist economy, as has been mentioned, and also allow families to bring in much needed extra income. However, there is clearly a problem with commercial landlords with multiple listings using Airbnb to maximise profits and, in some cases, to circumvent planning regulations and tax laws.

We do not have much data and what we have is quite patchy. It is clear that in certain cases in high demand areas like Dublin 1, 2, 7 and 8 a significant volume of properties which would otherwise be used as standard rental units are being transferred to short-term lets, which is obviously having a negative impact on our city and neighbourhood. In turn, it is adding to the homelessness and rental crisis.

The proposed legislation obliges persons who provide services in connection with the short-term letting of dwellings to furnish information upon request to the relevant planning authority. This is absolutely necessary. In October 2017 the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government published a report which contained 13 recommendations aimed at tackling the lack of regulation and oversight in the sector. One of those proposals stated that the regulations would be supported by a licensing system which would require all short-term letting platforms to register all hosts with the relevant local authority. The introduction of such a system would legally require the platform to provide information with the local authority on the letting type, availability and amount of revenue generated.

Ireland has been quite slow to act on this issue. I have visited cities in Europe, including Barcelona and Amsterdam, which have taken decisive action. In many other European countries action has been taken at a municipal level. Due to our weakened local authority system that is not possible in Ireland. Dublin City Council is dependent on regulation and guidance from central Government. For example, Barcelona was engaged in a long-running dispute with Airbnb, which listed hundreds of properties that did not have the required permits for city hall, and threatened Airbnb that it would not be able to operate in the city. Airbnb removed the listings which did not comply with city regulations from the website. There are more examples in Berlin and Québec. The enforcement of planning law is a key issue. Local authorities have to have the required resources to make sure that planning regulations are adhered to, which in turn requires greater investment in inspection teams and a higher level of inspection.

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin, on behalf of Sinn Féin, contributed significantly to the committee report I mentioned. Parties are united in saying that Airbnb is an issue which needs to be grasped effectively. The city is quickly becoming like larger European cities which reap the benefits of tourism but fail to cater for residents. I note queer clubs are being replaced with hotels and the heart of the city is being broken. People who do not subscribe to the mainstream are being cut out.

The Bill has the support of Sinn Féin. It is something for which we have advocated in recent years and I commend the Senator on highlighting the issues around it. It is time for the Government to act on the proposals in the Bill and the committee report. They are simple and change is overdue.