New short-term letting legislation

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the additional resources allocated to local authorities with rent pressure zones for short-term letting regulation arising from the 1 July 2019 introduction of new rules in the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

My Department has been in regular contact with relevant planning authorities regarding the implementation of the new short-term letting legislation, both before and subsequent to its commencement on 1 July 2019.  

In order for the new legislation to have the desired effect and achieve its objective of returning much-needed accommodation to the long-term rental market, it is essential that relevant planning authorities adopt a pro-active approach to enforcement. This will add to the planning enforcement workload of the affected planning authorities, necessitating dedicated additional staffing and complementary resources.

In this regard, my Department wrote to planning authorities on 4 June 2019 seeking estimated resource funding requirements for the implementation and enforcement of the new provisions. My Department wrote again to planning authorities on 2 July and 26 September seeking new or revised estimates following my designation of additional Rent Pressure Zones in certain parts of the country, which extended the application of the short-term letting provisions to these areas. 

Since then, further communication has taken place between my Department and all relevant planning authorities seeking clarification and refinement of the resourcing requests, as well as in relation to the practical implementation of the short-term letting provisions. 

My Department is actively engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to securing the required sanctions to provide funding to local authorities to facilitate the wider implementation and enforcement of the short-term letting regulations.