Cork TD: Planning law will ‘wipe out’ Airbnb trade

A Cork TD has said that new planning laws are going to “wipe out Airbnb services throughout West Cork and other places”.

The proposed Short Term Letting Bill, which aims to re-introduce 12,000 properties to the long-term rental market, prompted intense debate in the Dáil last week.

The draft form of the bill states that any party offering accommodation, either bedrooms or whole properties, for less than 21 days will have to be registered and hold a valid registration number issued by Fáilte Ireland, with property owners and online platforms that breach the new rules potentially facing fines of up to €5,000.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing told The Echo there will be an initial six-month transitional period.

Following that, only accommodation providers with the required planning permission from Fáilte Ireland will be able to advertise their properties for short-term letting purposes.

Bedrock

Raising the issue in the Dáil, Cork South-West TD and Independent Ireland party founder Michael Collins said Airbnb hosts form the bedrock of visitor accommodation in rural and coastal areas and the extra footfall and spin-off spend of their guests “is essential to the survival of local businesses and their employees”.

He told Taoiseach Simon Harris: “Airbnb hosts in rural and coastal areas are fearful of losing their livelihoods if the proposed registration of short-term lets requires planning compliance within a six-month period, with no clarity as to what this would entail.” 

Mr Collins called on the Government to immediately decouple the planning requirements from the new register.

 “The proposed legislation in its current form could kill Ireland’s tourism and the livelihoods of thousands of rural employees,” he said.

“Those in the Airbnb sector are not afraid of regulation. However, if this requires planning, for many of these homes that have been providing an excellent tourism service throughout the country, West Cork included, it will mean that the people involved may have to spend tens of thousands of euros that they cannot afford to spend on their homes.”

Honest

Mr Harris said: “We have to be honest in this House about Airbnb and how much people can make on that over a couple of days versus renting out the place for a month.

“There is either a housing emergency in Ireland or there is not. Let me be clear, there is such an emergency,” he said. “I am sure the deputy would have spoken to young people during the local and European elections.

“I am sure he would have looked them in the eyes and told them that he and his councillors, MEPs, and whomever else, are going to do everything in the Dáil and elsewhere to help them get homes. So am I.” He shared a story from Mr Collins’ constituency, saying that a mother in Kinsale told him personally: “Simon, there are a lot of places here that are vacant, Airbnb and the likes, and my young person cannot get anywhere to rent or live.” He said that Mr Collins could read the legislation when it was published, then bring forward amendments.

“Do not do this usual thing of claiming that the Government does not understand rural Ireland and so on. That is nonsense,” said Mr Harris.

Mr Collins said this was “a scandalous answer to the people providing Airbnb in West Cork”, saying “you should be ashamed of yourself”, and calling Mr Harris “clueless”. “Do not bother coming down to West Cork,” he told the Taoiseach, who replied: “I do not need your permission.”