Booking website Airbnb has changed its rules for homeowners renting out properties ahead of the busy summer season following intervention by the European Union.
The amendments will see rural Airbnb's in Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ) exempt from applying for planning permission if the population of the area amounts to less than 5,000 people, the Irish independent reported.
This comes after Minister Catherine Martin and the Irish Government sought to crackdown on the amount of short-term lettings across the country, in a bid to tackle the housing crisis.
READ MORE: Irish holidaymakers heading to Italy or France issued with new warning before travelling
Under the laws initially proposed by the Government which were subsequently tempered following EU intervention, short-term rentals would have to register online with Fáilte Ireland when advertising on booking sites.
Through this stated registration number, councils can then keep track of those advertising for short-term rental for more than three weeks that did not have the correct planning permission.
The softening of the rules for RPZ Airbnb's in tourism hotspots with less than 5,000 people was brought in as they saw holiday homes in these areas as not having any affect on the cost of rent and lack of long-term rents available.
Advertising websites could face €5,000 in fines for properties not officially registered, while landlords could also be fined the same amount for not registering correctly.
It comes as new planning permission guidelines are set to be published by Government this year, in a bid to bring back 12,000 new homes into the long-term rental market.
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