Dublin’s streets are quieter these days—not given that the tourists have vanished, but because the ones who remain are staying longer, in places that were never meant to be hotels. The Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment has just fired off a sharp letter to Housing Minister James Browne, demanding answers on why the promised register for short-term lets is still gathering dust. The delay isn’t just a bureaucratic hiccup; it’s a gaping hole in Ireland’s housing policy, one that’s letting landlords and platforms exploit a system already stretched to breaking point.
The Register That Never Was: A Timeline of Broken Promises
Back in 2022, the government pledged to introduce a national register for short-term lets by mid-2023. The goal was simple: track properties listed on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, ensure they comply with local planning laws, and—crucially—free up thousands of homes for long-term renters. Three years later, the register still doesn’t exist. What happened?
Officials blame “technical complexities” and “stakeholder consultations,” but the real story is messier. The Department of Housing has been locked in a tug-of-war with local authorities, who lack the resources to enforce existing rules, let alone a new registry. Meanwhile, Airbnb’s lobbying arm has been quietly pushing for looser regulations, arguing that short-term lets are vital for tourism—never mind that Dublin’s hotel occupancy rates are back to pre-pandemic levels, and the city’s rental market is in freefall.
Data from Dublin City Council shows that over 6,000 properties are currently listed as short-term lets in the capital alone. That’s 6,000 homes that could house families, students, or key workers—if they weren’t being used as de facto hotels. The delay isn’t just a policy failure; it’s a housing crisis in unhurried motion.
Why the Committee’s Letter Is a Big Deal
The Oireachtas Committee’s intervention isn’t just another political letter. It’s a rare public rebuke from a cross-party group that includes TDs from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Sinn Féin—parties that usually agree on little. Their concern? That the government’s inaction is making a bad situation worse.
“This delay is costing renters dearly,” said Dr. Rory Hearne, a housing policy expert at Maynooth University. “Every month the register is delayed, another few hundred properties slip through the cracks. Landlords are gaming the system, listing properties as ‘short-term’ to avoid rent pressure zones, while families scramble for a place to live. It’s a scandal.”
“The government keeps talking about ‘balancing tourism and housing,’ but the scales are tipped so far in favor of short-term lets that the balance is broken. We’re not asking for a ban—just transparency and enforcement.” — Dr. Rory Hearne, Maynooth University
The committee’s letter also highlights a glaring loophole: under current rules, landlords can avoid penalties by simply removing their listings from platforms like Airbnb—only to relist them under a different name. Without a central register, there’s no way to track these properties, let alone hold owners accountable.
The Airbnb Effect: How Short-Term Lets Are Reshaping Irish Cities
The impact of short-term lets isn’t just theoretical. In Cork, a recent study found that 1 in 5 properties in the city center is now a holiday rental. In Galway, rents have surged by 12% in the past year, partly because landlords are converting long-term rentals into more lucrative short-term lets. And in Dublin, where the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment now exceeds €2,000 a month, the problem is acute.
But the damage goes beyond numbers. Entire neighborhoods are being hollowed out, with communities replaced by a revolving door of tourists. Local businesses that once relied on year-round residents are struggling, while hotels—ironically—are thriving. The situation has become so dire that some councils, like Clare and Kerry, have taken matters into their own hands, imposing their own registration schemes. But without national coordination, these efforts are patchy at best.
Airbnb, for its part, insists it’s part of the solution. The company points to its “commitment to responsible hosting” and claims it has removed thousands of listings that violate local laws. But critics argue these measures are little more than PR stunts. “Airbnb’s ‘enforcement’ is a joke,” said Orla Hegarty, an assistant professor at UCD’s School of Architecture. “They’ll take down a listing if it’s reported, but they won’t proactively monitor compliance. That’s like a bank saying it’s against fraud but only investigating when someone files a complaint.”
The Global Playbook: How Other Countries Are Handling the Crisis
Ireland isn’t the only country grappling with the short-term let dilemma. Across Europe, governments are cracking down—with varying degrees of success.
- Barcelona: The city has banned new tourist apartments in its most saturated areas and imposed fines of up to €600,000 for illegal listings. Since 2021, over 3,000 unlicensed properties have been removed from platforms.
- Paris: Short-term lets are limited to 120 days a year, and owners must register with the city. Violators face fines of up to €50,000.
- Amsterdam: The city has capped short-term lets at 30 days a year and banned them entirely in certain neighborhoods. Airbnb now automatically blocks bookings that exceed the limit.
- New York: Since September 2023, short-term lets are illegal unless the host is present and the stay is under 30 days. The city has already collected over $20 million in fines from violators.
So why is Ireland lagging behind? The answer, according to insiders, is a mix of political inertia and fear of alienating the tourism industry. “The government is terrified of being seen as anti-tourism,” said a senior official in the Department of Housing, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “But the reality is, we can’t have a thriving tourism sector if locals can’t afford to live in their own cities.”
The Clock Is Ticking—But Is Anyone Listening?
The Oireachtas Committee has given Minister Browne until the end of May to respond. If the past is any indication, the reply will be heavy on platitudes and light on action. But this time, the stakes are too high to ignore.
Ireland’s housing crisis isn’t just about supply—it’s about who gets to access that supply. Every day the register is delayed, another family is priced out of their neighborhood, another landlord cashes in on the short-term let bonanza, and another community loses a piece of itself. The government can keep kicking the can down the road, but the road is running out.
For now, the question isn’t whether the register will be introduced—it’s whether it will come too late to make a difference. And if it does, who will be left to hold accountable?
What’s your take? Should short-term lets be banned outright in high-pressure areas, or is there a middle ground that works for both tourism and housing? Drop your thoughts in the comments—we’re listening.
