Why would such rules be introduced, do we not want to attract more tourists and make prices more competitive?
The State has to balance the rights and needs of people living here and people visiting the country. While online booking platforms offering short-term rentals are now a significant feature of the incredibly valuable tourism sector, there were fears the more lucrative prospect of holiday rentals was sucking much-needed properties out of the stock of long-term rental and exacerbating the housing crisis.
That will help with the housing crisis for sure. The new rules will be coming into force soon, right? Well, that was the plan. But it hasn’t quite worked that way just yet. The Government had hoped the legislation would be enacted by the end of March. But March has come and gone and the European Commission has extended a “standstill period” while the new law is being considered with that delay set to last until December 22nd at the earliest.