Thousands of Airbnb hosts with properties in areas with some of the highest rents in Ireland have not applied for planning permission for short-term rentals.
According to several local authorities, the number of required building permit applications from operators of short-term leases in rent pressure zones (RPZs) was low.
It comes amid plans to put all Airbnbs on a national register, which would help force owners to apply for planning permission.
As of 2019, it is a legal requirement for some short-term rental providers, such as Airbnbs, to have appropriate planning permission when located in an RPZ.
This is required when a person’s primary residence is rented out short-term for more than 90 days, or when a second home is rented out as an Airbnb within an RPZ.
RPZs exist in areas where rents are too high or rising too fast. The legislation was designed to try to bring more properties back onto the long term rental market.
But four years later, some local authorities have reported very few building permit applications.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown District Council said that “no applications have been received to operate a property as a short-term let since the introduction of the short-term let regulations”.
According to Airbnb’s own website, a search for rentals in Dún Laoghaire returns “over 1,000 apartments in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin”.
Although a large number of properties in Dublin City are listed on Airbnb, Dublin City Council said only 27 change of use requests had been received since the legislation came into force between 2019 and 2022.
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Rent pressure zones are areas where rents are considered too high or rising too fast
Rent pressure zones are areas where rents are considered too high or rising too fast
Seven areas and towns in Meath have been designated as RPZs to curb high rates for long-term renters. These include Mullingar, Trim, Kells and Navan.
Meath County Council said it had received just five applications “related to a change of use from residential to short-term accommodation” since 2019.
Three of these applications concerned the same property. But according to Airbnb, there are hundreds of rental properties across the county.
Killarney is Kerry’s only RPZ. Airbnb’s website says there are more than 1,000 rental properties in the tourist town. Kerry County Council said it had only granted planning permission for a change of use in 10 cases.
In Wicklow, large parts of the county are subject to strict RPZ laws to try to curb high rents. Tourists can rent hundreds of properties on Airbnb — entire houses in many cases.
But Wicklow County Council said it had only received 15 planning permission applications for short-term lets.
The first of these was received in 2020. Of these applications, six were denied planning permission for short-term commercial leases.
Limerick City North, East and West are RPZs. Although many entire properties in Limerick City are available to rent on Airbnb, a spokesman for Limerick City and County Council said it has only given one person planning permission for short-term commercial rental.
Cork County Council said it had issued warning letters “in relation to allegations of short-term letting on a total of 60 occasions since the relevant legislation was introduced in 2019”.
The Airbnb Terms of Service reminds hosts to check local rules and regulations before renting out their space.
An Airbnb spokesman said it welcomes the regulation and wants to “work with the government on rules for the sector.”
“As the government continues to consider new policies and planning rules, Airbnb steadfastly supports a clear and simple national host directory that supports hosts on a day-to-day basis and cracks down on speculators who drive housing problems.
“The majority of hosts in Ireland are families who share their primary residence for around three nights a month on average, with more than half of hosts in Ireland doing so to be able to afford the rising cost of living.”
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/owners-of-thousands-of-airbnb-properties-in-rental-hotspots-have-no-planning-permission-42392971.html Owners of thousands of Airbnb properties in rental hotspots do not have planning permission
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