Legislation that has gone through Cabinet this week is aiming to free up about 10,000 properties by requiring landlords in large urban areas to register properties being used for short-term lets.

The proposed measures, which will come into effect in May, will also impose fines on companies such as Airbnb if accommodation offered on their site is not properly registered.

Ireland South MEP for Fianna Fáil Cynthia Ní Mhurchú told The Anton Savage Show that she doesn’t buy this 10,000 property estimate.

“I haven’t seen the qualitative evidence, I haven’t seen the quantitative evidence to tell me that 10,000 homes... that that actually will do what it says on the tin,” she said.

“There’s a big difference between theory and practice, as we all know.

“It is a very important question to consider, all question and all issues must be on the table in order to seek to solve our housing crisis.”

A man looks at his iPhone which displays the Airbnb logo (Editorial use only).

Ms Ní Mhurchú said that while the housing crisis is a pressing issue, we shouldn’t destroy “micro tourism businesses” in the process.

“This new bill will affect towns with a population of more than 10,000 people,” she said.

“Now, there’s a big difference between a tourist town – and I mean a purely tourist town, such as Killarney, with a population in excess of 10,000... and a not-so-dependent-wholly-on-tourism town such as Clonmel.

“[Clonmel] has a fine tourist offering, but it’s a market town, a commercial town and it’s an agricultural town.

“The reason I’m using that illustration is because we don’t want to assist in solving a housing crisis – which is so important – but produce another crisis, namely lack of bed nights.”

EU directive

According to Ms Ní Mhurchú, this directive has been passed down to the Irish Government from the EU.

“A directive was issued [in 2024] whereby looking at the huge increase in short-term lettings, not just in our cities, but throughout the rest of Europe, had to be looked at,” she said.

“It was admitted by that piece of legislation and in the research that was done in the run-up that STOs or short-term rentals, they create opportunities for guests and hosts and the entire tourist ecosystem.

“However, the growth of the STOs was also triggering concerns, particularly in relation to people who can’t afford housing, couldn’t get long-term rental.

“And also the quality of life for people in neighbourhoods which were over-touristed and perhaps had too many short-term lettings and so forth.”

However, Ms Ní Mhurchú said the implementation of these directives has been left up to individual governments to decide.

Main image: Housing stock, © PA Archive/PA Images