MEP calls for action on short-term letting in Kilkenny

Green Party MEP for Ireland South, Grace O’Sullivan, has called for EU action to tackle the abuse of short-term letting in Kilkenny, as she revealed that there are approximately 20 times the number of short-term lettings in Kilkenny than homes for long term rental.

Speaking from Strasbourg as the European Parliament debated new regulations on short term lettings, O’Sullivan said that there is a clear need for a more balanced approach between short-term tourism letting and longer-term rentals.

"Short-term letting can be good for tourism and the local economy, but this positive quickly becomes a negative when local workers and families are priced out of the area, or availability dries up," she said.

"We’re not talking about people earning a few extra euro by letting out a room, or a granny-flat on a short-term basis. We’re not talking about purpose-built tourism accommodation. We’re talking about full units that would otherwise be family homes being taken off the rental market. 

"It’s gone too far now. In Kilkenny this week, there were over 200 short-term lets available on Airbnb, versus 11 homes available to rent on Daft.

"This is not sustainable for the local community or the local economy, and we must empower Local Authorities and National Governments to tackle this imbalance.

"I’m calling on the European Commission to approve Ireland’s proposed regulation of short-term letting as soon as possible, and I welcome the European Parliament approval this week of Europe-wide rules on short-term letting transparency to facilitate enforcement of the rules."

European Housing Ministers will meet on March 5 to discuss the common housing issues affecting Europe.

Figures were taken by comparing available lets on Daft.ie versus Airbnb rentals. Airbnb rentals were filtered to include only full home rentals with at least two bedrooms, and excluded purpose-built holiday lets to ensure fair comparison.