Can I buy property in Dublin city centre and let airbnb full-time or is planning permission required

fahyil · 12-09-2024 5:41pm #1

Can I buy property in Dublin city centre and let airbnb full-time or is planning permission required..

DOCARCH · 13-09-2024 4:50am

As far as I am aware, planning permission required.

Peregrinus · 13-09-2024 6:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058368746/can-i-buy-property-in-dublin-city-centre-and-let-airbnb-full-time-or-is-planning-permission-required

If the property is already being used for short-term tourist lets (and that use is not a breach of planning requirements) then you can continue to use it for short-term tourist lets; that's an authorised use and there's no change of use.

But if it's being used for something else — e.g. long-term residential use, either by an owner-occupier or by a tenant — then I think what you propose is a change of use and will require planning permission.

beachhead · 13-09-2024 5:49am

I think that get rich scheme is/will be closing.

fahyil · 13-09-2024 11:40am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122610865#Comment_122610865

Thanks Peregrinus, is there any way you know of how it would be possible to find properties that are already being used for short-term lets that are for sale?

Searching Daft or MyHome etc there's no way of differentiating. Presume also that its not something that would be stated in the listing. Although conversely a property of any type that is legitimately approved for short-term lets such as airbnb may command a higher selling price - thus you'd imagine such a fact would be clearly stated !!

Alas I can find no such example on any platform !

Peregrinus · 13-09-2024 2:27pm

You tell estate agents that you are interested in such properties and, if they know of any, they are highly motivated to tell you.

L1011 · 13-09-2024 2:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122611820#Comment_122611820

If it has permission, you can be damn sure the ad will mention it. You're not finding any, as there are very few and they aren't coming up for sale.

fahyil · 13-09-2024 3:02pm

Yes well it seems highly unlikely that such a fact wouldn't be clearly stated if it would command a strong premium as a result!

But at the same time - not only is there not currently any such properties for sale but even going back through old listings on any platform there's none that I can see ever previously

L1011 · 13-09-2024 4:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122612622#Comment_122612622

Same reason. They're goldmines and nobody is selling them

fahyil · 13-09-2024 5:29pm

Had heard anecdotally through estate agents that the enforcement of the restrictive legislation is at best "loose" and at worst "non-existent"

And that as long as applicable taxes are being paid correctly to Revenue they don't intervene a whole lot!

Has anyone heard much about how strictly its being enforced - and how many fines or other punishment is being given out ?

Lumen · 14-09-2024 8:07am

Sometimes I think Revenue is the only fully functioning bureaucracy in our state. They even backronymed their risk analysis system REAP in case anyone was in doubt about the seriousness 😂

Airbnb-style planning evasion would be largely extinguished by taxing short term rentals at 90% of gross rental income with tax relief where proof of planning compliance is submitted with the tax return.

Mellor · 14-09-2024 12:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122614270#Comment_122614270

Revenue have no role in planning enforcement. It's highly inappropriate to create Tax policies that aggressive to deal in incompetence in local government.

Not to mention, there are many short term holiday home type rentals that would be also hit with that tax, and like don't have an official paperwork to show compliance.

Lumen · 14-09-2024 12:09pm

To your first point, taxes are often used to achieve behavioral change, for instance differential rates of VRT based on emissions.

To the incompetence point, local authorities naturally have less human and technical resources than central government so it's unreasonable to expect them to be as "competent".

Regarding holiday lets, are you saying that they're planning compliant without proof or not compliant?

Mellor · 14-09-2024 1:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122614934#Comment_122614934

VRT does attempt to elicit change, but it's entirely a revenue based. Thy aren't trying to enforce a DoE policy regulation.

Less resources means smaller scale taskforce, obviously But it no no way justifies incompetence. Each individual should do their individual job competently. We're talking about Air BnB rental. Air BnB is literally a website that lists every single Air BnB rental property in the local area, and displays them on a map, and names the owner. It could not be easier to find planning breeches.

Point 3. Compliant without proof or compliance not required. Many holiday houses don't have specific planning grants for the use because it predated the requirements. Or, house in areas that are not subject to the restriction on short term lengths.
In both cases, they wouldn't have paperwork to show revenue.

Can I buy property in Dublin city centre and let airbnb full-time or is planning permission required

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