Kildare Airbnb landlords will face new charges starting this July
It is understand that there are currently 84 properties in Kildare are listed on the Airbnb site and now they may face extra water, insurance, and commercial rates bills from July 1, 2019.
Property owners will also need to apply for commercial planning permission if they wish to rent out their property to tourists visiting, The Irish Examiner is reporting.
It comes as part of a major clampdown on the regulations for short-term lettings which are said to be adding to the pressure on the housing sector, although this regulation is unlikely to apply to households who rent out individula rooms on Airbnb.
Fianna Fáil had warned that the new rules are unfair to people who found themselves in negative equity; however, the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has said the rules must be enforced across the board.
“Fianna Fáil are changing their tune on this. We cannot have a twin-track system. We support home-sharing but not turning long-term rentals into holiday homes," said the minister.
Meanwhile, local authorities will be given powers to refuse planning permission in areas where there is a high demand for housing.
The housing charity Threshold has welcomed the new regulations, insisting they will go “will go some way towards alleviating” the homeless crisis.
Threshold CEO John-Mark McCafferty said there were 5,762 Airbnb listings in Dublin alone last month, 41% of which were available as full-time holiday rentals. He said the data indicates that 3,476 housing units were potentially removed from Dublin’s housing stock on a permanent basis as a result of short-term tourism.
“The number of people who can be accommodated in Airbnb properties far exceeds the current 10,264 homeless figure,” he said.
“While tourists are always welcome and short-term letting platforms, such as Air BnB, have a role to play in the tourist market and wider economy, this volume of short-term lets is taking units that would otherwise be available for long-term rent out of that market. These new restrictions will release badly needed housing onto the market and we believe it can have a positive impact for those families who are currently experiencing homelessness," said Mr McCafferty.
Airbnb said it was a “false promise” to claim that the regulations could offer a solution to the housing crisis.