The national housing charity, Threshold has reiterated its call for regulation of the short-term letting market after research from Daft.ie, released today (Wednesday, 16th May 2018), showed that less than half of all listed rental properties in Dublin are available to long-term tenants.
Commenting, Threshold chief executive, John-Mark McCafferty said: “While there is a place for short term lets in the tourist market, it’s very worrying for a city that has a housing crisis that such a high percentage of properties are essentially off limits to long-term tenants. As we have been saying, there is a certain irony that families who need long-term tenancies are staying in bed and breakfasts, hotels and other emergency accommodation that is designed for short-term use, while many tourists looking for short-term accommodation are staying in housing, traditionally long-term accommodation.
“The fact that such a high percentage of properties currently available for rent in Dublin are for short-term use would suggest that units that were formerly people’s homes now fall into this category. This highlights the insecurity that renters face, both in their tenancies and in the supply of properties to rent. The short lets market is in urgent need of robust regulation to safeguard the supply of affordable rental homes for those who want to live and work in the city, and the Government must take measures to ensure this.”
Threshold chair, Dr Aideen Hayden added: “A functioning private rented sector is essential if the Government is to solve the current housing crisis. A functioning short-term letting market is one element of this. We reiterate our call for a moratorium on full-time short-term lets in areas most affected by rental supply shortages; for planning permission to be required for all full-time short term lets; and for all properties rented on a short-term basis for more than 90 days in a 12-month period to be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board. We also call for the establishment of a local authority hotline, whereby people can report full-time short-term lets.”
