B&Bs & historic houses

B&Bs & Irish home B&Bs

An Irish home bed & breakfast can also be defined as a townhouse, farmhouse or country house.
For your tourism business to be approved as an Irish home B&B, there must be at least two, and no more than six guest bedrooms. The maximum number of bedrooms in the house can not be more than nine, including the family bedrooms.

In the case of houses with guest bedrooms without private bathrooms attached, there should be one bath and one shower provided for the first six persons accommodated, including the owner's family. If more than four guest bedrooms are provided, planning permission for bed and breakfast use is necessary. 

Historic Houses

In order to become approved as a historic house, your property must offer accommodation with at least two, and a maximum of six guest bedrooms. The dining area and kitchen should be separate from each other.

To progress your application, you will be required to complete all fields and to self-declare compliance with all statutory obligations. There is a requirement for all tourist accommodation providers to meet their statutory obligation which include but are not limited to:

• Complying with the Local Government (Planning and Development) Acts, 1963-2000 (as amended or extended) and in possession of a Certificate of Compliance in relation to the planning permission granted and the building regulations including all current legislation.
• Complying with the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 (as amended or extended) and with any Regulations made thereunder (as amended or extended), and in possession of a valid Fire Safety Certificate.
• Having notified the HSE in accordance with Article 6(2) of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and under Regulation 6 of S.I. No 369 of 2006 as amended and in compliance with Food Safety Regulations.

Note: Fáilte Ireland advise all proprietors who may be unsure of their statutory obligations to obtain any clarification necessary to ensure their statutory obligations are being met.