Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
393. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of registrations, inspections and permissions of short-term lettings that have taken place since July 2019, by month in tabular form; and the number of inspectors allocated to carry out inspections of short-term lettings in each local authority. [21088/20]
View answerThe Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019 introduced legislative changes last year in relation to the regulation of 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 advertising such properties.
My Department has been in contact with each of the relevant local authorities in which RPZs are located throughout the year, and has requested regular updates on the enforcement and implementation of the Short Term Letting (STL) Regulations. Notwithstanding the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the workforce and workload of local authorities over recent months, as well as on the short-term letting market itself, this enforcement and implementation has continued to the extent possible.
The STL legislation does not require planning authorities to report statistical information to my Department regarding the receipt of notifications from concerned property owners of the letting of their properties on a home-sharing basis, thereby being eligible to avail of the exemption from the requirement to obtain planning permission, or the number of change of use planning applications that have been received further to the commencement of the provisions. Nor does it require information on the number of inspections carried out by the planning authorities.
However, as of 7 September 2020, updated STL statistics have been received from the following planning authorities:
|
Planning Authority |
Total no of properties identified as potentially in breach of STL regulations |
No of Form 15 (annual notification) received |
No of STL change of use planning applications received |
No of STL change of use planning permission granted |
No of warning letters issued (section 152) |
No. of additional staff employed on contract |
|
Carlow |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
|
Cork County |
Return awaited |
|||||
|
Cork City |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
DLR |
46 |
99 |
0 |
0 |
46 |
1 |
|
Dublin City |
466 |
334 |
32 |
0 |
466 |
12 |
|
Fingal |
825 |
59 |
0 |
0 |
37 |
|
|
Galway City |
0 |
31 |
5 |
0 |
12 |
0 |
|
Galway County |
Return awaited |
|||||
|
Kerry |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Kildare |
2 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
|
Kilkenny |
100 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Laois |
43 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
|
Limerick |
0 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Louth |
159 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
36 |
2 |
|
Meath |
0 |
21 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Offaly |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
Sligo |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
|
South Dublin |
61 |
31 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
N/A |
|
Waterford |
Return awaited |
|||||
|
Westmeath |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Wexford |
45 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
2 |
|
Wicklow |
0 |
28 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
1757 |
637 |
47 |
2 |
633 |
21 |
