Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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129. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will introduce a new policy on the regulation of a company (details supplied) and other online platforms to reduce the number of homes currently available for short-term let and not available for long-term letting as a way of improving supply of rental properties to those that need them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17870/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The General Scheme of the Registration of Short Term Tourist Letting Bill was approved by Government and published in December 2022. This Bill provided for the establishment of regulatory controls, including a register for all Short Term Letting (STL) properties.

Following a legally required notification of the General Scheme to the European Commission under the Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) EU Directive 2015/1535 (that requires EU Member States to notify the Commission of any draft technical regulations concerning products and information society services before they are adopted in national law), a standstill period was imposed by the Commission, until December 2023, as work was underway to agree the EU Short Term Rental Regulation to enable a unified approach to regulation across the EU.

The EU Short Term Rental (STR) Regulation was adopted on 14 April 2024 and is applicable from 20 May 2026. The General Scheme approved in December 2022 has been revised to give effect to the provisions of the STR Regulation. The revised and retitled Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill General Scheme requires Government approval to proceed with drafting of the Bill and to conclude the TRIS process.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has committed to developing Planning Guidelines for the short-term letting sector to supplement the introduction of the STLT Bill. This guidance is intended to provide clarity and certainty on the planning permission requirements in respect of short-term letting properties in order that property owners will have a greater understanding of the planning requirements well in advance of the final enactment of the STLT Bill.