This year (2023), a new mandatory register to be known as
the Short-Term Tourist Letting (STTL) Register is being established by the
government for all properties engaged in short-term lettings in Ireland.
Love Connemara
Cottages has kept up to date on this long running topic and has put together a
Q&A overview of what‘s coming down the track for those in the sector.
Q. I have read that there is Short-Term Tourist Letting Register
being established – what is it all about?
A. Due to the housing crisis, the Irish government is under
pressure on many fronts to bring more long-term rental properties into the
market. The establishment of a mandatory register for all short-term rental properties is being done to ensure anyone operating in the short-term sector is registered with Fáilte Ireland so they can determine the stock of this important tourism accommodation. This new register, managed by Fáilte Ireland covers the Republic
of Ireland and is expected to be launched in April 2023. Each compliant
property will receive a special register number known as an STTL Number - which
must be used wherever the property is marketed e.g. all booking platforms or
advertisements.
Q. Who does this new register affect & how?
· Property Owners – all those wishing to
stay in the short-term (self-catering) market are required to have a Short-Term
Registration Number (STTL)
· Marketing Agencies – all marketing agencies
are required to display the individual STTL number of each property they market
on their websites. This includes local marketing agencies like Love Connemara
Cottages as well as the larger agencies like Airbnb.
Q. I have a self-catering property in Connemara – does this
affect me?
A. Yes and No. As all properties in short-term letting in
Ireland are required to join the register then yes it does affect you in that
you must be part of the register.
In 2016 ‘
Rent Pressure Zones’ were introduced in Ireland. If
your property is in one of these designated Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) then your
property will need to have appropriate planning for a holiday home. If a
property does not have the appropriate planning permission then it will likely
not receive the required Registration Number and therefore cannot be marketed
as a holiday home anywhere.
If your property lies outside of a Rent Pressure Zones, for
examples in areas like Connemara, then you will still need to register your property
but express permission to operate as a holiday home is not yet required.
Q. Is my property already part of a register and will this suffice?
A. If your property (through Love Connemara Cottages) has
been successful in receiving the Fáilte Ireland Welcome Standard approval over
the past one to two year then yes. Love Connemara Cottages has been aware of pending
register for a number of years and has worked to ensure all of our properties
are under a government framework.
Love Connemara Cottages will automatically issue you with an
STTL number when the register goes live.
Q. My property was not successful in the Fáilte Ireland assessment
– what now?
A. You can apply independently for your registration number
when the register opens (proposed March April).
- Email Address
- Details of the property owner
- Property address including Eircode
- Capacity information of the property
- Declaration that the property is compliant with its statutory obligations.
Q. Is the register live?
A. No. The details of the register are being finalised at
present. Also, the legislation that underpins the register is still working its
ways to the legislative process.
Q. How much will it cost to join the register?
A. This has not been determined yet, however another similar
register which has been running for years by Fáilte Ireland costs approximately
€250 per annum so it likely to be similar in cost.
Q. What happens if I don’t join?
For Property Owners - Fáilte Ireland may levy a €300 fixed
payment notice on property owners who advertise their property without a valid
FI registration number and also have the option to bring the case to the
district court where the maximum fine is up to €5,000
For Marketing Platforms / Agencies - For platforms, Fáilte
Ireland can levy fines of up to €5,000 per invalid listing for advertising
properties without valid Fáilte Ireland numbers.
Q. Should I keep accepting bookings?
A. Yes. As Connemara is not designated as a Rent Pressure Zones
(RPZ), properties can continue to accept bookings.
For properties in a Rent Pressure
Zones there is a proposed provision in the legislation of a 6 month
clarification / transition period from the date the register launches will
allow property owners to not only trade over the summer but allow them time to
establish their planning status and if they need to, submit any applications to
their Local Authority.
- You can check back here from time to time for any updates
from us.
- Fáilte Ireland (Short Term Tourist Letting Register) - https://www.failteireland.ie/Supports/Get-quality-assured/Short-Term-Tourist-Letting-Register-(STTLR).aspx
Q. What should I do next?
A. All the details of this register have not been finalised. For
now, keep up-to-date with news developments on this topic and keep an eye here
also for updates from ourselves.