The European Union’s delay in implementing a new Airbnb register has hampered the Irish government’s plans to free up 12k rental properties. The register was initially proposed to clamp down on property owners renting out homes on Airbnb and other short-term letting sites for lengths of time beyond the permitted period. Independent.ie has previously reported a sharp increase in homes being rented out to tourists while the numbers available for long-term rentals has decreased. Until new legislation has been enacted, there is no requirement for homeowners to register properties. Under the proposed laws, short-term letting websites will be fined up to €5k if they do not remove adverts of unregistered properties.
