In April of this year Minister for enterprise, tourism and employment Peter Burke secured Cabinet approval to publish the General Scheme of the new Short Term Letting and Tourism (STLT) Bill.

The Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill will establish a national online register for short-term lets. It will be managed by Failte Ireland, which will require all hosts to register their properties annually starting May 20^th, 2026, thus ensuring compliance with the new EU Short Term Rental Regulation which was adopted by the EU on April 11^th 2024.

The new regulations aim to balance the short-term letting market with the long-term housing needs and build on existing rules that brought short-term let regulations to all areas of Ireland as of June 20^th, 2025. The bill also includes provisions like allowing property owners to rent their principal private residence (PPR) for up to 90 days a year without restriction.

Hosts offering accommodation for periods up to and including 21 nights will be obliged to register with Fáilte Ireland and hold a valid registration number that must be displayed when advertising the property.

The Bill also provides for the introduction of a sanction procedure for infringements by online short-term rental platforms of their obligations under the EU Regulation. This will enable the State to impose large financial penalties, up to a maximum of 2% of turnover, to enforce compliance where necessary.

Restrictions on short- term lettings in towns with a population of more than 10,000 have also been approved by Government. This led to concerns that the government’s planned short-term letting bill will reduce the amount of available tourism accommodation.

The new policy means new applications for planning permissions for short-term lets in towns of more than 10,000, would generally be refused. CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, Eoghan O’Mara Walsh, says there is a shortage of hotels and short-term lets as it is in Ireland. He says if people cannot find accommodation, this will also impact other businesses like cafes, restaurants, and leisure businesses.

Hosts who rent out properties on websites like Airbnb and Booking.com will have to assess for themselves if they are within towns where new rules will apply from 2026.

Fáilte Ireland will manage the register and will be required to share data with the planning authorities to support the enforcement of planning laws. Once enacted it will be illegal to have unregistered short-term lets.

The new laws have caused concern over the impact they might have on rural tourism centres with ministers Michael Healy-Rae and Norma Foley, from Co Kerry, previously voicing objections to the register over the risk it poses to towns like Killarney.

NB – This is a guide for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have an issue requiring legal advice, please contact any of the team at Nolan Farrell & Goff LLP, whose numbers can be found on our website www.nfg.ie, or email info@nfg.ie.