Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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22. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment when he will publish legislation on short term letting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62045/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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On 15 April, Government approved the General Scheme for the Short Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill. This Bill, when enacted, will provide the statutory basis for the introduction of a register for all Short Term Lettings (STLs) in Ireland, to be implemented and managed by Fáilte Ireland from 20 May 2026, ensuring compliance with the new EU Short Term Rental Regulation, which was adopted on 11 April 2024.

From 20 May 2026, all STL hosts offering accommodation for periods up to and including 21 nights will be obliged to register with Fáilte Ireland via a digital system and confirm their compliance with planning requirements. The registration process will take just 5 minutes to complete and will result in a unique registration number being issued for each STL unit registered. This number must be displayed when listing the STL unit on any online platforms.

Fáilte Ireland has estimated that, based on data for September 2025 which has been screen scraped from publicly available STL listings across four major booking platforms, there are c.34,680 STL properties in the State currently being advertised online and up to 65% of these properties are advertised as “entire” houses and apartments. The research points to a 24.3% increase from an estimated 27,900 units listed in August 2022. It is important, in such a fast-growing area, that we have oversight and data on where this growth is happening.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is currently carrying out a review of the Planning Acts and is developing guidance for local authorities on short-term letting by way of a National Planning Statement.

Minister Browne will progress any necessary legislative changes to implement the new Planning requirements. The National Planning Statement will be published in advance of the final enactment of the STLT Bill to provide clarity for the tourism sector.

Government is mindful of concerns in both rural and major tourism regions where Short Term Lettings provide much needed accommodation for visitors. These concerns are being addressed through continued engagement with all stakeholders.

On 16 June 2025 the General Scheme was referred to the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to be considered for pre-legislative scrutiny. The Department and Fáilte Ireland appeared before the Committee on 15 October to provide an initial briefing. The Committee has since confirmed its intention to continue its scrutiny process. Drafting work on the Bill is ongoing and it is hoped to publish early in 2026, which allows the 8 weeks necessary for the Pre Legislative Scrutiny process. After the PLS in completed the Joint Committee will provide a report to my Department, which will consider the report and make any necessary revisions. The final draft of the Bill will then be submitted to Government for approval and publication.

The STLT legislation needs to be in place before 20 May 2026 to give effect to EU Short Term Rental Regulation.