Understanding Dublin’s Short-Term Rental Regulations

Dublin recently put in place new short-term rental regulations to ensure Airbnb hosts and other property managers are hosting their vacation rentals responsibly. These new provisions were put in place on July 1st, and are intended to help address pressures in the private housing rental market, specifically in areas of high demand for residential housing. Due to this, these provisions only apply to housing in rent pressure zones, with no restrictions on short-term rentals in zones which are not rent pressure zones.

Summary of Dublin’s Short-Let Regulations

• Rooms in a one’s principal property can be home shared (with the host still residing at the property during the booking) without restrictions. 
• One’s principal property can host entire home short-term rentals (with the host not residing at the property during the booking) for less than 90 days a year and does not need to apply for planning permission to do so.
  • To continue offering entire home short-term rentals in a principal residence past the 90 day limit, one must apply and receive planning permission. 
• To offer any kind of short-term let in a second property, one must apply and receive planning permission. 

Rent Pressure Zones for Vacation Rentals in Dublin, Ireland

A rent pressure zone is a designated area where rents are highest and rising, and households have the greatest difficulty finding affordable accommodation. These zones have various provisions and legislations that help reduce rising rent costs and excessive short-term rentals. 

Currently, there are 42 designated rent pressure zones across Ireland, with the city of Dublin, South Dublin, Fingal County, and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown all considered rent pressure zones. Below is a table of Ireland’s various rent pressure zones (taken from short-term letting FAQs), along with the date of their denomination as a rent pressure zone.

The entirety of Dublin and its surrounding areas are considered rent pressure zones, meaning that the new short-term rental provisions will affect these areas. Be sure to take a look at whether your property is in a rent pressure zone, and if the latest short-term rental regulations apply to you. While the city of Dublin mentions the possibility for exceptions for certain cases in rent pressure zones, property owners seeking exceptions will need to contact their local government directly. 

Short-Term Letting Regulations in Dublin, Ireland

Short-term lets are defined as letting or renting any part of a house or entire house for any period not more than 14 days. The new short-term rental provisions put in place only affect properties in rent pressure zones, which includes any properties in and around the city of Dublin. While hosts can freely short-term let their primary residences for less than 90 days a year, if they would like to rent for more than 90 days they must apply for planning permission. If one owns a second property that they would like to short-term let, they must apply for planning permission whether they are home sharing or letting the entire property in their absence.

Private room short-lets or home sharing can also be offered in a host’s primary residence with no yearly limit on days or planning permissions required if the host is residing on the property during the short-term rentals. When offering private room short-lets, hosts can rent up to four rooms at once, accommodating no more than four people per room. Hosts offering any kind of short-term rental, whether private room or entire home in their primary or secondary residence must register with their local authority by filing Form 15 Statutory Notification form at the start of each year and Form 17 Statutory Notification form at the end of each year.

Serious breaches of the planning code can result in fines up to €10 million and two years of imprisonment or both. The maximum fine for less serious non-compliance with planning breaches is a €5,000 fine or six months of imprisonment, or both. Further offence sees additional fines of €1,500 per day for each day that the breach continues. 

Examples of Short-Term Letting in Dublin

Below are two common short-term letting examples provided by Dublin’s city council, showing how homeowners can host responsibly in accordance with the new regulation. 

Shared Home Let in Dublin

A house which is the principal private residence occupied by the landlord or licensor can short-term rent up to four rooms accommodating no more than 4 people per room with no restrictions on the number of days per year as long as:

• No breach of any condition of a permission or any use specified in a permission.
• Each let is for a period between one and 14 days. 
• An owner occupier or tenant is resident at the time of the short-term lettings.
• At the start of the year, Form 15 Statutory Notification form is sent to the Dublin City Council no later than two weeks from the start of the first short-term let of the year for that property.
• At the end of the year, Form 17 Statutory Notification Form is sent to Dublin City Council between January 1st and January 28th of the year after the lettings have taken place.

Entire Home Let in Dublin

A house which is the principal private residence and is normally occupied by the resident (landlord or licensor) can be short-term rented for up to 90 days a year, in the absence of the owner occupier or tenant residing on that property as long as: 

• Total number of days does not exceed 90 in a year.
• No breach of any condition of a permission or any use specified in such a permission.
• An owner occupier or tenant is not resident at the time of the short-term lettings.
• At the start of the year, Form 15 Statutory Notification form is sent to the Dublin City Council no later than two weeks from the commencement of the first short-term let of the year for that property.
• Prescribed Form 16, 90 Day threshold reached Statutory Notification form is sent to Dublin City Council. This is only required if the 90 day threshold is reached. This form must be lodged no later than 2 weeks after the threshold has been reached. 
• Prescribed End of year Notification, Form 17 Statutory Notification form is sent to Dublin City Council between the 1st of January and the 28th of January of the year after the lettings have taken place. 

We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the regulations discussed in this article. Regulations often change on a regular basis, and we advise you to research the current regulations for your location. While we do our best to keep the information updated, if you find an error, omission, or something that needs an update, please let us know.

Useful Links Related to Short-Term Lets in Dublin

While this article contains lots of information about vacation rental regulations in Dublin, Ireland, you might still have more questions. Below is a list of helpful links related to short-term rental regulations in Dublin which can help you find the information you need. 

City of Dublin – Summary of New Short-Term Letting Regulations: http://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-planning/new-short-term-letting-regulations-planning-and-development-amendment 

City of Dublin – New Regulation of Short-Term Lets in Dublin, Ireland: https://www.housing.gov.ie/planning/private-rented-housing/new-regulation-short-term-letting 

City of Dublin – New Regulation of Short-term Lettings FAQs: https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/30.07.19_short-term_lettings_faqs_0.pdf 

City of Dublin – Start of Year Notification Form 15: https://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-planning-new-short-term-letting-regulations-planning-and-development-amendment 

City of Dublin – Planning Permission Page: http://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-planning-planning-permission/apply-planning-permission 

City of Dublin – Planning Application Form: https://www.dublincity.ie/sites/default/files/content//Documents/Application_Forms/Planning/PlanningApplicationForm.pdf 

Dublin City Council – Form 15 Start of Year Notification: https://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-planning-new-short-term-letting-regulations-planning-and-development-amendment 

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