Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The first Government amendment relates to short-term letting provisions in the planning Act. The Government recognises that a significant number of properties have been withdrawn from the long-term rental market in recent years and been diverted for use as short-term lets. It also recognises the associated negative impact this has had on the supply and availability of private residential rental accommodation, with knock-on implications for rental prices. Further amendments will be brought forward to address this issue. Supplementary to these new legislative provisions, we propose to issue guidelines to planning authorities updating the criteria to be taken into account in determining applications for change-of-use planning permission in respect of short-term let properties in rent pressure zones, having regard to the extraordinary pressures prevailing for properties in the private rental market.