PRESS RELEASE – 18/06/2026
Legislation for Self-Catering Sector is Enforceable but Unworkable
There has been much confusion amongst Self-catering SME business owners. The government is coming out with statements about enforcement and regulations but there was no National Planning Statement for STR from the Dept of Housing and no Register for STTL Bill (redrafted) from Dept of Housing,
Minister Browne announced on 16/6 that the short-term letting bill for Airbnb will be the strongest in EU with strongest planning regulation for Airbnb. The issued a Draft National Planning Statement STR Statement was issued a on 17/6. He stated that the document sets out balanced guidelines for Short-Term Letting that support the retention and return of housing stock for use in the long-term market, while enabling accommodation unsuitable for long-term use to be developed for tourism purposes in support of economic development.
The ISCF acknowledges there are issues with an unregistered STR sector and has called for a Register since 2017. The report from the Tourism Committee on the Register for STR was not published in March. The long-term development of tourism requires that an appropriate balance is achieved between the short- and long-term rental sectors. We still await the Register for STTL Bill from Dept of Enterprise Tourism and Employment. Both pieces of legislation need to be approved by the Dail, and then the EU Commission Tris System.
The Irish planning system is laborious, understaffed and does not give permission in rural Ireland to housing development. Most councils have not been giving planning for self-catering or glamping in recent years, due to a lack of clarity – apart from Kilkenny.
There is no clear data on the loss of STR accommodation for the past 5 years. Across the self-catering sector a lot of accommodation has been lost due to family members returning home to renovate old properties, owners’ retiring and selling self-catering units or switching to the long-term rental market. Another considerable factor to be taken into consideration is that self-catering group schemes have been lost all along the wester seaboard to council contracts and refugee accommodation. As it’s been unregistered since 2008, it is not considered to be important. Vacant and Derelict properties all over Ireland, in private and Government ownership could be used for housing.
Michael Healy Rae asked questions in the Dail which gave more clarity on the bill Under the new system, all short-term letting providers must register with Fáilte Ireland and display their registration number on property listings and advertisements. In line with Article 5 of the EU Short Term Rental Regulation, providers must also confirm compliance with national planning requirements.
There will be a presumption in favour of granting planning permission for short-term letting where a dwelling has been used continuously for this purpose for at least seven years, and no enforcement action was taken.
- There will be permission for self-catering in towns below 20,000 and a simplified administrative version of the application process for retention, specifically for short-term lets, will be introduced
- In towns above 20,000 Short term Lets will not be permitted, but those in existence for 7 + years can apply for planning permission to continue in business
- The establishment of the register will assist local authorities with the enforcement of planning requirements for Short Term Lets. This will see a reduction in available tourism accommodation in larger towns and cities with a population of over 20,000 at the last census.
The ISCF Chairperson Derek Keogh stated after a Board meeting “Both the STTL bill and National Planning Statement fail to address the core issue, that of making it economically viable for excising genuine tourism accommodation providers in rural Ireland to continue to operate. Without the granting of targeted exemptions, it remains enforceable but unworkable piece of legislation that will decimate rural tourism.”
The ISCF Board also met politicians from all parties in the Dáil on 17/6/2026 to discuss the importance of self-catering to the rural economy, employing and managed by women. TDs were engaged and understood the effect of legislation, when given real live businesses who would be closed by the proposed legislation.
For media enquiries:
Contact the ISCF office, which co-ordinates all interview requests.