Overview
Short-term letting register
Obligations for short-term letting platforms
Planning requirements for short-term letting
Overview
If you advertise and let accommodation on a short-term letting basis in Ireland, new rules will apply to you from 20 May 2026.
The government approved the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill General Scheme in April 2025. Under this law, if you are a host offering accommodation for 21 nights or less, you must register your property with Fáilte Ireland.
Once registered, you will receive a unique number for your short-term letting unit. This number must be included in all listings or advertisements.
Online short-term rental platforms will have to facilitate the display of the registration number on the listing of the short-term letting unit.
These changes are part of new EU-wide rules on data collection and sharing for the short-term rental sector.
Understanding the terminology
Short-term letting
Short-term letting (STL) is the letting of accommodation for up to 21 nights at a time.
Host
A host means a person or company that provides, or intends to provide, a short-term accommodation rental service for payment through an online short-term rental platform.
Unit
A unit is a furnished accommodation, including whole properties, such as an entire house or apartment, or the rental of a room(s) in your home, advertised for short-term letting.
A unit does not include the following: hotels and similar accommodation, including resort hotels, suite or apartment hotels and motels, hostels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts or accommodation provided in camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks
Online short-term rental platform
An online short-term rental platform is an online platform that facilitates the advertisement by hosts of STL properties and enables guests to book the accommodation
Bed place
A bed place is a single sleeping space for one person.
STR Regulation
The EU STR Regulation is Regulation (EU) 2024/1028 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (the STR Regulation) that will apply from 20 May 2026.
Short-term letting register
Ireland is establishing a short-term letting register that will be managed by Fáilte Ireland. The establishment of the register follows the government decision of 15 April 2025 and the adoption of Regulation 2024/1028 on data collection and sharing relating to short-term accommodation rental services (STR Regulation).
New registration requirements
If you offer accommodation for rent for periods of up to 21 nights at a time you will be required to register with Fáilte Ireland from 20 May 2026. When you register, Fáilte Ireland will issue a unique registration number for each STL unit registered. The registration number must be displayed when you are listing the STL unit with an online short-term rental platform.
Registration of each STL unit will need to be renewed on an annual basis.
Who is required to register
Registration is required by all hosts offering short-term accommodation for let, that is, if you offer accommodation for rent for periods of less than and up to 21 nights at a time you will be required to register with Fáilte Ireland from 20 May 2026.
Registration applies to all short-term rental accommodations, classified as an STL unit, including whole properties, such as an entire house or apartment, and to the rental of a room(s) in your home.
The requirement to register applies to all properties nationwide regardless of location.
Renewal of registration
After the initial registration, registration must be renewed on a yearly basis.
Agent registration
Your agent cannot register for you unless the unit is being registered for a company. A host must complete the registration themself, including making legal declarations about the unit (regarding compliance with planning, building and fire safety requirements).
How to register a unit
Registration will be an online process and will be accessed through the Fáilte Ireland online registration portal.
Information you will need when registering a unit
If you are a host of a short-term letting unit you will need to provide your:
- full name
- email address
- telephone number
- Personal Public Services Number (PPSN)
- date of birth
- country of residence
- host address including eircode
If you are registering the unit for a company you will need to provide the:
- business name
- company registration number
- business email address
- country of business residence
- registered business address
- legal representative
- legal representative contact telephone number
- full address of the unit that is to be registered, including eircode
Details on the unit:
- unit type
- the unit is located in your Principal Primary residence (is the unit in your home?)
- the unit is a separate secondary residence and advertised as a whole house or apartment for short-term letting
Accommodation capacity details:
- number of bed places (where a bed place is a single sleeping space for one person)
- total number of guests that the unit can accommodate
Fees
A nominal annual registration fee will apply. Details of the fee structure will be available shortly.
How long will it take to register
The registration process for an STL unit will take approximately 5 minutes.
Obligations for short-term letting platforms from 20 May 2026
Clearly display STL registration numbers
From 20 May 2026 platforms will have to facilitate and display STL host registration information for every listed unit. The listing must clearly display this number, and platforms must enable hosts to easily provide it.
Verify listing accuracy and conduct random checks
Platforms must take reasonable steps to confirm the accuracy and completeness of STL host-submitted information. They are also obliged to carry out random checks on listings.
Remove or disable listings on Competent Authority orders
If Fáilte Ireland identifies invalid or missing registration numbers, they can order platforms to suspend, remove or disable the listing for the relevant STL unit promptly. An independent panel appointed by the Minister will determine penalties for platforms for non-compliance with these orders.
Share key STL rental data via a Single Digital Entry Point (SDEP)
Platforms must transmit standardised data (for example, number of nights rented, guest counts, listing URL, registration number) to a centralised SDEP established by each member state. Fáilte Ireland will manage Ireland’s SDEP. This data will be typically shared on a monthly basis, enabling Fáilte Ireland to monitor compliance by STL hosts. An independent panel appointed by the Minister will determine penalties for non-compliance with these reporting obligations.
Tailored requirements for smaller platforms
Micro or small platforms (for example, regionally focused with limited hosts) may use simplified or manual data-sharing methods rather than full machine-to-machine integration.
Ensure data privacy and legal compliance
All platforms must ensure data sharing is safe, privacy-compliant (aligned with GDPR) and proportionate.
Planning requirements for short-term letting
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility for planning matters. The following information on the planning requirements for short-term letting in Ireland has been provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Background
In April 2025 the government set out a policy direction that proposes to generally preclude new planning permissions for short-term lets in cities and larger towns. On 9 February, the Cabinet Committee on Housing proposed to apply this to towns and cities with populations over 20,000 persons at the latest census. These policies are part of a broader government strategy to tackle the housing shortage by ensuring that as many suitable properties as possible are available for long-term rental.
Planning and the short-term letting register
As part of the registration process, providers will need to confirm that they are planning compliant. This means that they either have planning permission or are exempt from planning requirements.
Proposed changes to planning requirements for short-term letting
Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of 20,000 or less at the last census, based on the census town boundaries (defined by CSO), will have two years to meet planning compliance requirements. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is preparing planning policy guidance, and it will continue to be the case that change of use planning permission is necessary for STL, where not subject to exemptions.
Accommodation providers based in towns with a population of more than 20,000 at the last census, will need to confirm planning compliance on registration, with no further lead-in period, if they wish to register their Short-Term Letting property with Fáilte Ireland.
In line with existing established rights, where it can be proven that a residential property has been operated by an STL provider for at least 7 years and no enforcement action has been taken by the planning authority, planning permission for retention may be sought.
National Planning Statement
Under the Planning and Development Act 2024, National Planning Statements have been introduced to replace section 28 Ministerial Guidelines issued under the Planning and Development Act 2000. These statements will be prepared by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and subject to consultation and approval by government.
They will contain two separate parts that have a different status in terms of the obligations attaching to each part and the particular planning function being exercised. The first part is a high-level statement of national planning policies and measures to be integrated into regional and local plan making. The second part is a more granular practical guidance that affords flexibility to planning authorities as to how to implement the principles of national planning policies and measures.
Purpose of the National Planning Statement on short-term letting
The National Planning Statement for short-term letting will ensure that there is a clear overall policy approach, both at national level and local authority level, to enable planning authorities to determine planning applications for short-term lets across the country. It will consider a variety of factors, such as existing planning legislation, the long-term housing need in the local authority area, the location of the proposed short-term let and balancing housing need with the potential impact on tourism and economic development.
The legislative basis for a National Planning Statement is contained within the Planning and Development Act 2024.
Exemptions
The letting of a room or rooms in a person’s principal private residence is permissible on an unrestricted basis and is exempt from planning requirements.
It should be noted that homesharers are currently allowed to sub-let their entire principal private residence (house or apartment) on a short-term basis for a cumulative period of 90 days where they are temporarily absent from their home. Where the 90-day threshold is exceeded, planning permission for change of use is required.