ACCOMMODATION websites like Airbnb and Booking.com could be hit with major fines under new rules to clamp down on short term lets in Ireland. The Government this week signed off on proposals to limit short term lets to 90 days per year in areas with a population of more than 10,000 people. Minister Burke acknowledged concerns when publishing the legislation earlier this week. Coalition leaders believe that this could result in thousands of homes that are currently used as short term let tourist accommodation coming back into the long term rental market to ease the housing crisis. Tourist body Failte Ireland will create a register where people who want to rent short term accommodation must sign up. Failte Ireland officials will then police websites like Airbnb and Booking.com to ensure that properties that are up there are in compliance with the new rules. This register is expected to be rolled out in May 2026 when the rules will kick into action. The legislation will also include penalties for websites that advertise properties that do not have a valid registration number with Failte Ireland. These penalties could be a fine of up to two per cent of the platform’s annual income – which in the case of Airbnb and Booking.com would run into the millions. Concerns have been raised that reducing the number of short term properties available to let will damage the tourism industry with fewer places for tourists to stay. Business Minister Peter Burke has acknowledged these concerns when publishing the legislation earlier this week. He said: ‘I am aware of the genuine concerns regarding the impacts on rural tourism and local economies of removing a significant cohort of STL properties from the tourism and other short-term letting market and I continue to engage with the sector in this regard. However, meeting local housing need across Ireland is a critically important consideration and Government must use every lever available to assist in providing homes for our people.’

New fine threat for Airbnb & Booking.com tourist accommodations as crackdown targets short term lets in Irish cities

The Irish government has signed off on proposals to limit short-term lets to 90 days per year in areas with a population over 10,000, aiming to ease the housing crisis. This new legislation, set to take effect in May 2026, could result in thousands of homes currently used as short-term let tourist accommodations returning to the long-term rental market. Failte Ireland, the tourist body, will create a register for short-term accommodation, and penalties for non-compliance could reach up to two percent of the platform's annual income, potentially impacting Airbnb and Booking.com.