Short-term lets, including Airbnb, will have to apply for planning permission from now on.

It’s due to new rules that are taking effect today under the extension of Rent Pressure Zones to the whole country.

It will leave thousands of Airbnb listings operating illegally this weekend.

With the new rules in effect, it’s estimated that thousands of existing short‑term let properties are now operating without the required permission, making them formally unauthorised .

The government has approved the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Bill, which will introduce a nationwide registration system for short-term lets, to be managed by Fáilte Ireland from May 20, 2026.

In towns and cities with populations over 10,000, short-term lets will be limited to a maximum of 90 days per year.

Online platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com could face significant fines of up to 2% of their annual turnover for non-compliance. Officials say the aim is to rebalance the housing market and return thousands of homes to long-term rental use.

An estimated 10,000‑20,000 short-term lets could be released back into the long-term rental market under the new bill, helping to ease Ireland’s rental shortage.

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