Latest news with #MichaelHealyRae
Irish Times
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Minister seeks to ease fears of Airbnb hosts over new short-term letting rules
Minister for Housing James Browne has said Airbnb hosts on the west coast will have 90 days per year where they will not need planning permission under a new law. Mr Browne claimed that many people in parts of Kerry, Clare and Mayo who will come under new short-term letting rules this weekend live in the homes that they are renting out and so will be unaffected by a new law. Earlier this week The Irish Times revealed that when Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) become national, popular tourist destinations that had not previously required planning permission for short-term lets now will. It prompted concern from Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae, as all of Co Kerry will now require planning permission for Airbnb-style accommodation when it did not previously. READ MORE Mr Browne told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland 'that's the current law'. 'Every time a rent pressure zone is extended, the planning requirements kick in for short-term lets,' he said. Asked about the effect this would have on big tourism areas like Kerry, Clare, Galway and Mayo, Mr Browne said: 'a lot of them actually, the families live in the homes'. 'It's really important for those families to know that if you live in the home and you're renting out rooms, that [planning permission rule] doesn't apply,' he said. 'When this law passes, you have 90 days within a calendar year that you can rent your property out, that you don't need planning permission, so you're not going to see anybody even considering it for several months.' He said that he and Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke are bringing in 'very strict new laws' for short-term lets that will ban new planning permission for short-term lets in towns with a population of more than 10,000. 'So all of this is going to be resolved over the coming months anyway under the short-term lets plan,' he said. The Minister was also interviewed on Newstalk Breakfast where he said the new legislation would give more protection to renters. 'Renters are going through an awful lot of pain at the moment – rents are too high and I have to think of not only the renters that are currently renting but those who are home in their box rooms, in their parents' homes, who need somewhere to rent where there is no housing for them to go out and rent or to buy for that matter. So what we've taken is measures to increase that supply level. 'If we continue doing what we're doing, the pain will continue to grow as well. So I'm very conscious of the pain that everybody's going through out there who are renting and those who need somewhere to buy as well,' the Minister said. 'So the decisions I'm making this week is about increasing supply, because the only way we're going to address the cost of houses, the only way we are going to adjust the cost for renting, the way we were going to get homeless numbers down is by increasing that supply,' he told Newstalk Breakfast.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Thousands of holiday lets will need planning permission due to Rent Pressure Zone changes
Thousands of short-term holiday lettings on the west coast and elsewhere will require planning permission as a result of emergency laws extending Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) nationwide by the end of this week. Under a 2019 law designed to get holiday lettings back into the private rental market, properties rented out for short periods in RPZs are required to have planning permission. Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae said it is a 'big concern' for him that Airbnb -style rentals all over Co Kerry would need planning permission because of one of the Government's big housing policies. The Coalition could face a backlash from more of its own senior ministers, some of whom had already raised concerns about the impact regulations on short-term lettings could have on rural tourism. READ MORE At the moment, tourism hotspots such as Listowel, Tralee, Dingle and Kenmare in Co Kerry, Belmullet and Ballina in Co Mayo, and Bantry and Skibbereen in Co Cork are not classed as RPZs. As a result of this, short-term holiday lettings do not require planning permission in these places. A spokeswoman for Minister for Housing James Browne said: 'Currently, any time we designate an area as a Rent Pressure Zone, the provisions related to short-term letting automatically apply to that Rent Pressure Zoned area. This will be the case when we apply Rent Pressure Zones nationally.' Mr Healy-Rae, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, said he was concerned about the impact the changes would have. 'It's a thing I'm acutely aware of and extremely concerned about,' he said, adding that he was 'hoping to work within Government to try and address' it. The consequence of the law means short-term lets in several ministers' constituencies are required to apply for planning permission. Among the ministers whose areas stand to be impacted are Mr Browne, Minister for Children Norma Foley, Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke and Minister of State Timmy Dooley. Earlier this year, Ms Foley raised concerns about a separate proposal to ban planning permission for short-term lets in towns with populations of more than 10,000 people. On Tuesday, a spokesman for Ms Foley declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Mayo-based Mr Calleary. Also on Tuesday, the Cabinet agreed to rush through the emergency legislation extending RPZs to the entire country, with Ministers planning to have the legislation passed through all stages in the Oireachtas and ready to be signed into law by Thursday. It is understood that some people who lease out short-term holiday lets have already been in touch with TDs to complain about the impact the legislation will have on their businesses and to ask for pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. Mr Brown confirmed there will be no special exemption for students under the new rental regime . He was due to meet Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless on Tuesday over his concerns about students and other people who move regularly facing higher rents. However, that meeting has been deferred until next week. Mr Browne told reporters that special protections for student tenants in the private market would be 'unworkable' and 'unenforceable'. Labour's housing spokesman Conor Sheehan claimed on Tuesday that he had seen 'anecdotal' evidence of landlords in areas not yet covered by RPZs trying to increase their rents before the law was passed.
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Michael Healy Rae's property management firm records over €840,000 in profit over two years
A property management firm owned by Independent TD Michael Healy Rae has recorded combined profits of €841,908 over a two-year period. That is according to new accounts filed by the Kerry TD's Roughty Properties Ltd which show the company recorded post-tax profits of €376,048 in the 12 months to the end of May 2024. Accounts lodged last week by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture's property company showed it recorded a €465,860 post tax profitfrom May 9th, 2022 to May 31st, 2023. The profits for the two periods add up to a combined €841,908 post tax profit. READ MORE Mr Healy Rae's entry in the Dáil Register of Members' Interests statesthe firm's main activity is 'management of rental properties'. He describes himself in the register as an owner of rental properties and lists 17 separate properties for letting, including 14 houses. Separate figures published by the Department of Childrenshow Mr Healy Rae's Rosemont House in Tralee, which is used to house Ukrainian refugees, has received €1.22 million over two years and three months to the end of December last. In 2022, Kerry County Council refused planning permission to Roughty Properties Ltd's planning application for a three storey extension to expand the Rosemont Guest House. The property firm is now Mr Healy Rae's most profitable enterprise.
RTÉ News
10-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
TD's property firm records over €840k profit over two years
Minister of State Michael Healy Rae's property management firm, linked to the Kerry TD's Rosemont guesthouse accommodating Ukrainian citizens, has recorded combined profits of €841,908 over a two-year period, new accounts show. That is according to new accounts filed by Minister Healy Rae's Roughty Properties Ltd which show that the company recorded post tax profits of €376,048 in the 12 months to the end of May 2024. The filing of the accounts comes days after Minister Healy Rae's Roughty Properties Ltd lodged accounts at the Companies Registration Office last week which showed that it recorded a €465,860 post tax profit in its first year in operation from the date of incorporation for the 12 month 23 day period from 9 May 2022 to 31 May 2023. The profits for the two periods add up to a combined €841,908 post tax profit- the accounts are abridged and don't provide a revenue figure. Cash funds at the company last year increased from €555,933 to €718,046. The company also strengthened its balance sheet during the year with the addition of a fixed asset which has a book value of €204,519. Minister Healy Rae owns 100% of the share capital of the company. Under the heading of directors' loans, a note states that at the end of May 2024, "there were no loans, quasi loan, credit transactions or guarantees for and on behalf of the directors". The Kerry TD's entry in the Dáil Register of Members' Interests states that the main activity of Roughty Properties Ltd is "management of rental properties". In the register, Minister Healy Rae describes himself as an owner of rental properties and his entry lists 17 separate properties for letting including 14 houses. Separate figures published by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth show that Minister Healy Rae's Rosemont House in Tralee has received €1.22m over two years and three months to the end of December last. In 2022, Kerry County Council refused planning permission to Minister Healy Rae's Roughty Properties Ltd's planning application for a three-storey extension to expand guest capacity at Rosemont Guest House. The Roughty property firm is now Minister Healy Rae's most profitable enterprise with the accounts showing two years of strong profits. Separate accounts filed earlier this year by Minister Healy Rae's plant hire firm, Roughty Plant Hire Ltd show that its accumulated profits increased by €74,887 from €734,024 to €808,911 in the 12 months to the end of April 2024. Accounts for another Michael Healy Rae firm which operates a fuel station and grocery shop in Kilgarvan show that it recorded post tax losses of €26,986 last year. Deputy Healy-Rae's entry to the Dáil's members' register of interests lists his other occupations as postmaster, farmer, service station owner and owner of rental properties. The Kerry deputy also has shares in the New York Times.
BreakingNews.ie
05-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Healy-Rae company linked to refugee accommodation records bumper post-tax profits
A property management firm linked to Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae's guesthouse accommodating Ukrainian refugees recorded bumper post-tax profits in 2023. Mr Healy-Rae, the Independent TD for Kerry, was appointed earlier this year as Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture with special responsibility for forestry. Advertisement New accounts filed by Mr Healy-Rae's Roughty Properties Ltd show it recorded a €465,860 post-tax profit during its first year in operation from May 9th, 2022, to May 31st, 2023. The abridged accounts do not disclose revenues but they do show that at the end of May 2023, the company's cash funds totalled €555,933. The overdue accounts were filed after a district court order dated May 13th this year extended time in which the annual return could be lodged with the Companies Office. The annual return shows that Mr Healy-Rae owns 100 per cent of the share capital of the company. The Kerry TD's entry in the Dáil Register of Members' Interests state that the main activity of Roughty Properties Ltd is "management of rental properties". Advertisement In the register, Mr Healy-Rae describes himself as an owner of rental properties and his entry lists 17 separate properties for letting including 14 houses. Separate figures published by the Department of Integration show that Mr Healy-Rae's Rosemont House in Tralee has received €1.22 million over two years and three months to the end of December last year. In 2022, Kerry County Council refused planning permission to Mr Healy-Rae's Roughty Properties Ltd's planning application for a three-storey extension to expand guest capacity at Rosemont Guest House. The new accounts confirm that the Roughty property firm is now Mr Healy-Rae's most profitable enterprise. Advertisement Separate accounts filed earlier this year by Mr Healy-Rae's plant hire firm, Roughty Plant Hire Ltd, show that its accumulated profits increased by €74,887 from €734,024 to €808,911 in the 12 months to the end of April 2024. The post-tax €74,887 profit at the plant hire services business for the 12 months was an 80 per cent increase on the €41,415 post tax profit for the prior 12 months. During the 12 months the company's cash funds more than doubled from €198,748 to €434,224. Numbers employed at the Kilgarvan based business during the year declined from 12 to five. Advertisement Ireland Family of woman who died after being hit by Healy-... Read More Separate accounts for another Michael Healy-Rae firm, which operates a fuel station and grocery shop in Kilgarvan, show it recorded post-tax losses of €26,986 last year. Accounts for Black Cap & Company Ltd show that the firm recorded the post-tax losses of €26,986 in the 12 months to the end of April 2024 are down sharply on the post-tax losses of €67,583 in the prior year. Last year, numbers employed by the business declined by one to 15, including directors. The company operates from a building housing a shop at Kilgarvan village. Mr Healy-Rae's entry to the Dáil's members' register of interests lists his other occupations as postmaster, farmer, service station owner and owner of rental properties. The Kerry deputy also has shares in the New York Times and owns 146 acres of farmland/forestry.
