The Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCF) Welcomes STR Register Progress but Calls for Urgent Clarity on Implementation
The Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCF) welcomes the Government’s decision to set the population threshold at 20,000 and the inclusion of a Grandfather clause, allowing properties already in operation to continue trading. However, clarity is urgently needed on how these measures will work in practice.
The introduction of a Register for Short-Term Rentals (STR) will provide much-needed accurate data on the self-catering sector, which covers all properties rented for up to 21 nights, including cottages, heritage houses, glamping pods, cabins, and whole houses. Most of these properties are located in rural and remote areas where hotels are not viable.
Clear Data Is Critical
It must be acknowledged that since the 1990s, Ireland’s tourism accommodation stock has been steadily reduced to meet housing demands. Early B&Bs were repurposed to house families instead of providing social housing.
By 1999, the cost of this approach had reached €660 million, and in 2026 many guesthouses, B&Bs, 2- and 3-star hotels, and some aparthotels are still being used by the Government to house people. At the same time, over 30,000 commercial buildings, 4,000 social housing units, 230 HSE-owned properties, and 774 OPW buildings remain vacant across Ireland.
While there is no exact data on how much tourism bed stock has been lost to long-term rentals, permanent homes, or Council and ARP contracts, these should not be included in the STR Register, as they are effectively “ghost tourism beds.”
Clarity Needed Through Consultation
The ISCF, together with a coalition of tourism bodies, is calling for clarity from the Government on the Grandfather clause, including the proposed two-year moratorium for existing STR properties without planning permission to allow continued operation once the Register is introduced.
The STR Register should be established under the auspices of Fáilte Ireland in May 2026, bringing much-needed transparency to a sector that has been unregulated since 2008. Time must be allowed for properties on the register to become planning compliant.
A high-level steering group should be established, including tourism leaders, STR representatives, planning officers, Department officials, and Fáilte Ireland, to ensure planning guidelines are fit-for-purpose and tourism in regional Ireland is protected. Clear planning guidance is essential.
“This twin-track approach will give self-catering owners confidence in the Register and the security to continue trading.
A National Planning Statement for STR needs to clarify how new businesses can open, while ensuring that the existing stock is retained to protect the economy of rural Ireland,”
Maire Ní Mhurchú, CEO of the ISCF.
Next Steps and Industry Engagement
Details of the Department of Tourism’s STR Register proposals were presented to members earlier in the month, and a webinar for non-members will be held on 24th March 2026.
The ISCF is committed to ensuring that small family-run businesses in rural Ireland are not unfairly targeted as either the cause or solution to the housing crisis. This perspective is widely understood by TDs, as demonstrated during recent Joint Oireachtas Committee meetings, with a report due shortly.
The Register for Short-Term Tourist Letting (STTL) Bill has not yet passed all stages of the Oireachtas, and the EU Register is due by 20th May 2026.
