There should be a “serious rethink” of the Government’s planned crackdown on short-term letting (STL) “before irreparable damage is done to rural Ireland”, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae has told senior Coalition figures.
The Independent junior minister and Kerry TD said the existing plans are “not the solution to the housing crisis ... It is scapegoating and I cannot and will not support it.”
Mr Healy-Rae made the remarks in an email to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris, which was released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Departments of Enterprise and Housing are developing a new regime for short-term lets, such as those advertised on Airbnb and other platforms.
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This includes a new register set to be in place from mid-May 2026, underpinned by updated planning permission rules.
The proposals are part of efforts to tackle the housing crisis, with some suggestions that as many as 10,000 homes could be freed up for long-term rental use.
Included in the plans are a requirement for planning permission for short-term lets, which previously did not apply to many rural areas, and a population threshold bringing in restrictions on new short-term lets in large towns and cities.
The proposals have prompted concerns among STL owners and politicians in tourist areas.
In Mr Healy-Rae’s November 2nd email to Mr Martin and Mr Harris, he wrote that he was reiterating his “absolute opposition to how this is being approached and to urge a serious rethink before irreparable damage is done to rural Ireland.”
He claimed: “It is increasingly clear to me that not enough thought is being given” to “the devastating consequences this legislation will have on rural communities, rural tourism, and rural jobs.”
Mr Healy-Rae wrote: “Let me be blunt: this legislation will not deliver the housing return being promised, and it will do enormous damage to rural economies in the process.”
He said he has met people operating short-term letting businesses for as many as 30 years and they are “good, honest, tax-compliant people” who “invested heavily over decades”.
Mr Healy-Rae predicted that such houses “will not go into the long-term rental market” as they are “not suitable for it on a practical level” and are designed as self-catering or STL properties.
Mr Healy-Rae added that he was “insisting that we relook urgently at planning exemptions for long-standing STL operators”.
A Government statement said Minster for Enterprise Peter Burke is “acutely aware” of the “the concerns of the tourism industry” particularly rural STL providers and these “are being addressed through continued engagement with all stakeholders. This view is similarly held by [Minister for Housing James] Browne.”
It said the decision to introduce an STL register has been “broadly welcomed by the tourism sector”.
Mr Browne is to “progress any necessary legislative changes to implement the new planning requirements”, and planning guidance on short-term letting is to be published in advance of the enactment of the Bill that allows for the STL register.
In response to a query on whether he would oppose the plans in the Dáil unless they are changed, Mr Healy-Rae said: “I await to see the final Bill laid before the House.”
Mr Healy-Rae, who is a landlord of a number of properties, said: “I can confirm I do not own any [STL] properties or use STL platforms.”
