Jim O'Callaghan
Question:303. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if steps are being taken to restrict the availability of rental properties via a company (details supplied) [16850/20]
View answerTuesday, 21 July 2020
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Written answers
Legislative changes (the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019) were introduced last year in relation to the regulation of the short-term letting sector through the planning code to help address its impact on the supply of private rented accommodation, particularly in urban centres of high housing demand i.e. rent pressure zones (RPZs). The planning system facilitates the regulation of such short-term letting uses undertaken by the individual carrying out the activity, i.e. the owner/occupier of the house or apartment, rather than the online platforms.
Under this Short-Term Letting legislation applicable in RPZs:
- Short term letting is defined as the letting of a house or apartment, or part of a house or apartment, for any period not exceeding 14 days.
- Homesharing (the letting of a room or rooms in a person’s principal private residence) continues to be permissible on an unrestricted basis and is exempted from the new planning requirements.
- Homesharers are allowed to sub-let their entire principle private residence (house or apartment) on a short term basis for a cumulative period of 90 days where they are temporarily absent from their home.
- Where the 90 day threshold is exceeded, change of use planning permission is required.
If a person homeshares their principal private residence in a RPZ and wishes to avail of the new planning exemptions, they need to register this with their local planning authority and fulfil specified reporting obligations.
However, where a person owns a property in a RPZ which is not their principal private residence and intends to let it for short term letting purposes, s/he is required to apply for a change of use planning permission unless the property already has a specific planning permission to be used for tourism or short-term letting purposes.
The broader regulation of tourism activity, including the possible development of a new regulatory or licensing/registration system for commercial platforms and short-term letting agents, was recommended in the final Working Group report on the regulation of short-term letting. The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future includes the specific action to strengthen the regulatory and enforcement mechanisms with regard to short-term lettings, and the approach in this regard will be considered over the coming months.