Press Release – 27/6/2025 – Law of Unintended Consequences

PRESS RELEASE. – 27 th June 2025

Closing the Door on Tourism in Rural Ireland

At a time when international companies based in Ireland are under threat from tariffs, the Irish Government see fit to close the largest indigenous industry, tourism.  Self-catering, provide over 40% of tourism beds, mostly in rural Ireland. Self-Catering is the backbone of the rural tourism industry, and the Wild Atlantic Way route alone is worth €7 bill per annum.  For every €25 spent per day on rental, €75 is spent in shops, restaurants and winder community.

The Irish Government brought Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) bill through the Dáil last week, in a guillotine motion, making all of Ireland an RPZ area. The aim was to deal with issues with long-term landlords, but the unintended consequence is that a flawed RPZ bill makes most self-catering businesses illegal in terms of planning.

The Government are retrospectively bringing in the STR planning requirement, at today’s building standards, ensuring that even if owners could afford to apply for planning, the effort would be pointless, as ‘Housing for All’ is the overall Government policy. STR planning is required as a pre-request to be Registered on STR Bill. The consequence is closure for many Self-catering businesses, and an economic loss to rural Ireland.

“There is no clear data on the number of self-catering units in Ireland, so the Register for STR needs to be the Government priority” said Maire ni Mhurchu CEO ISCF.

Most self-catering micro-businesses did not apply for a change of use in planning when opened many years ago. The only group who has STR planning were those on hotel grounds or Section 23 Tax relief group schemes. Most of these groups schemes are now on Government contracts. Data from Failte Ireland shows that most beds are in properties not registered as tourism accommodation. The mix is as follows

• 43,400 (76% of the total) are in non-registered properties
• 14,010 (24%) are on Fáilte Ireland (FI) registers/listings.

“There is no clear data on the number of self-catering units in Ireland, so the Register for STR needs to be the Government priority. We are calling for a clear exception from planning for  self-catering owners who can prove they have been in the industry for some years. The Planning Guidelines for STR needs to be published urgently and clarity given to those who enter the market” said Maire ni Mhurchu CEO ISCF. “We are the ‘Mom and Pop’ businesses all over rural Ireland, and we are being closed by a Government who conflates an OTA with indigenously owned businesses. Clear Guidelines need to be given to Planners across the country, so a standard system is in place for future developments”.

As there is no clear data on how long it takes to get Planning permission for builders of housing schemes, who are delayed by over a year, how can we expect planning for Self-catering businesses to be any quicker. It is a close down order for SME family businesses

At the invitation of Leas Ceann Comhairle John McGuinness TD, a delegation from the ISCF board made up of micro-businesses from rural farm businesses, a wellness center and Irish marketing agents spoke passionately about their businesses. They also met Malcolm Byrne TD, John o Connor TD, Junior Minister Christopher o Sullivan TD, Ryan o Meara TD,  Michael Healy Rae TD and Senator Linda Nelson Murray.

Michael Healy Rae said the Government has many people staying long-term in properties with STR Planning on them, paid for by the Co Councils.  He stated that   “These Ghost STR properties are not asking people to leave their long-term accommodation by councils, so the same courtesy should be given to owners of Self-catering.  Bring in a Register which will give clear data”.

The figure of up to 10,000 population for allowing STR to continue is ridiculous. The Dept of Housing is imposing rules used in high density urban areas Europe – it’s like comparing of Amsterdam ( pop 1.4m)  on Athlone, or Barcelona ( pop 1.6m) or Ballina. Self-catering accommodation is a tourism product, it did not cause the housing crisis and is not the solution.

The Government is closing down self-catering and shutting the door on rural tourism, unless changes are made.

 End of Release

Data on Empty Properties June 2025 

Office:- info@ ISCF.ie.      Phone: 086 – 178 5654.   Join ISCF Now

About the Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCF)

The Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCF) is the national representative and lobbying body for owners of self-catering properties in Ireland. Established in 1998, the ISCF advocates on behalf of its members to promote and develop the interests of the self-catering sector across the country. The ISCF has called for a Register for STR since 2017.

Recognized by Fáilte Ireland, local and central government, and key tourism stakeholders, the ISCF works to ensure that self-catering accommodation providers have a unified voice in policy discussions and industry developments. The federation represents a diverse range of property owners, from individual holiday home operators to larger agencies and groups.

One of the ISCF’s key initiatives is the operation of LetsGoSelfCatering.com, an official property listing platform that allows guests to book directly with self-catering property owners throughout Ireland. This platform aims to provide a comprehensive national listing of quality-assured self-catering accommodations.

In addition to national advocacy, the ISCF is a member of the European Holiday Homes Association (EHHA), engaging in discussions and policy development at the European level to support the self-catering industry.