Latest news with #shortTermLets
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.
Telegraph
05-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Holiday let owners face tax ‘triple whammy'
Airbnb owners are set to face a triple whammy of taxes as the Government increasingly treats them as 'walking ATMs,' a senior Tory MP has warned. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing minister, criticised ministers for hitting short-term let owners with little-known licensing fees when they are already paying double council tax. From April 1, all English councils were given the powers to charge a 100pc council tax premium on second home owners. More than 230 chose to implement the charge – which The Telegraph is campaigning to be cut or abolished. But the new legislation included scope for the Government to introduce a registration scheme to regulate holiday lets and ensure they are recorded with councils. This is expected to involve a licensing charge, which experts estimated would be around £100 per year – though Labour has failed to provide a timeframe for when this will be introduced. The result could be that owners are saddled with paying double council tax bills, plus an annual licensing fee. A similar fee for short-term lets already exists in Scotland. Mr Hollinrake has argued that the double council tax bill should cover the cost of an owner registering a short-term let. In a written parliamentary question, he asked the Government whether it 'will ensure that homes subject to a second homes council tax premium by local authorities are not charged additional registration fees'. But Chris Bryant, the culture minister, refused to confirm the exemption in his response. He added that the 'scope of the scheme is still being determined'. A loophole in the business rates system means some households could avoid the double tax altogether. Mr Hollinrake told The Telegraph: 'Labour's thirst for tax cannot be quenched, and people may now be hit by a triple whammy of council charges – two lots of council tax, and a licensing fee on top if they ever want to rent it out. 'Such licensing charges are especially pointless, as councils already know the property is being used as a second home by virtue of the council tax surcharge. 'Local taxpayers deserve better than being treated like walking ATMs by this punishing Labour government.' Andy Fenner, head of the Short Term Accommodation Association (STAA), said: 'This appears to be purely a revenue-generating exercise rather than a genuine policy need. Short-term rental tourism provides vital investment and supports thousands of jobs and businesses throughout our communities. Alistair Handyside, of the Professional Association of Self-Caterers UK, said it was supportive of the scheme but concerned about 'the amount of other interventions such as the council tax premiums, the abolition of the furnished holiday lets tax regime and the new EPC standards, these are closing businesses at a very fast rate'. The second home council tax premium was originally brought in by the Tories. However, Labour has come under criticism for refusing to monitor the impact of the policy on housing, tourism and local economies. Ministers said it was up to individual councils to decide if the double tax is 'effective'. But The Telegraph revealed earlier this month that eight in 10 local authorities who charge the premium failed to carry out impact assessments before introducing it. If a property is let out for 70 nights a year, it qualifies for business rates and is therefore exempt from council tax. Many second home owners will qualify for small business rates relief, which offers up to 100pc relief, if the property is the only one they let. This loophole will cost local authorities £334m this year in missed revenue, a figure which politicians said proved the premium was backfiring. If a property is not let for 70 days, however, it will still be on the hook for all three charges. A government spokesman said: 'A registration scheme will help local authorities across England identify the short-term lets in their area so they can address any community impacts. We will set out more details on how the scheme will work in due course.' AirBnb was also approached for comment.
