FAQs

Fáilte Ireland is introducing a Short-Term Letting Register for all short-term accommodation lets in Ireland.

A host means a person or company that provides, or intends to provide, a short-term accommodation rental service for payment through an online short-term rental platform.

A unit refers to a furnished short-term accommodation, which may include an entire property - such as a house, apartment, cabin, boat, treehouse, or glamping pod - where the host does not reside during the guest’s stay. It can also include rooms within a home that are advertised for short-term letting. 

The registration system will be online via a dedicated Fáilte Ireland registration portal. To register a unit, hosts will be able to quickly sign up to the portal using their email address, input host and unit details, make a legal declaration about the unit regarding compliance with statutory obligations (by way of self-declaration) and pay a registration fee. They will instantly receive a unique registration number for each unit registered.

Any party offering paid accommodation for periods of up to and including 21 nights will need to be registered with Fáilte Ireland. Hosts can register via a quick and user-friendly online portal where they will:

• Input host details
  • For individual hosts - full name, email address, telephone number, Personal Public Services Number (PPSN), date of birth, country of residence, host address including Eircode.
  • For a company - business name, company/business number, business email address, country of business residence, registered business address, legal representative, legal representative contact telephone number, full address of the unit that is to be registered, including Eircode.
• Input unit details: Indicate the unit type and whether the unit is offered as a part or whole of the host’s primary or secondary residence, or for other purposes.
• Input unit capacity: Provide information on the maximum number of bed places and guests that the unit is capable of accommodating (a bed place is a single sleeping space for one person).
• Confirm, by way of a legal declaration, that each unit registered meets the relevant statutory obligations.
• Pay the registration fee (subject to annual renewal).

Upon successful registration hosts will instantly receive a STL registration number which must be displayed on all listings. Units registered on the Short-Term Letting Register are not Quality Approved by Fáilte Ireland.

Hosts will be required to display a valid Fáilte Ireland Short-Term Letting registration number on all listings.

Requirements for hosts are as follows:

• Ensure the unit is registered with Fáilte Ireland to receive a Short-Term Letting registration number.
• Display a valid Short-Term Letting registration number for each unit on all listings.
• Ensure your registration is renewed annually.

The introduction of the new STL register will commence following the passage of the necessary legislation.    Fáilte Ireland advises all hosts who may be unsure of their statutory obligations to obtain any clarification necessary to ensure their statutory obligations are being met. 

The registration fees will be announced shortly. Being aware of the challenges which households and businesses face, the fees will be kept to a minimum.

Hosts will be required to sign up using an email address that will be validated prior to creating a password, all of which will only take a minute or so. Once signed in, the registration portal becomes available to register your unit/units. The length of time this takes will depend on the number of units being registered, as each unit listed by the host must be registered to obtain its unique registration number. If the person registering has all the information to hand e.g. Eircode, payment details etc., and are just entering the details for one unit, the full process should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete. Applications can be saved and completed at a later time, and multiple units may be registered at the same time.

• Once you register your unit/units you will receive confirmation of your Short-Term Letting registration number, this will be subject to annual renewal.
• You will be obliged to display your Short-Term Letting registration number on all listings.
• Registration numbers will be included in a public and easily accessible register.

Yes, you will be required to enter the Eircode for the unit/units being registered.

You will not be required to upload any supporting documentation as you register. However, you may be contacted post registration for clarification on your registration.

It is the view of Fáilte Ireland that, in the context of the tourism market, a short-term stay/holiday will generally occur over a period of a maximum of three weeks, i.e. 21 nights, as such Fáilte Ireland deemed it appropriate to set this threshold for the Short-Term Letting Register.

Fáilte Ireland notes that the definition of a Short-Term Let differs under other regulations e.g. definitions under existing planning regulations. However, the underpinning of the Short-Term Letting Register differs from the requirements set out in planning legislation/regulations in terms of purpose and intended outcome.

An online short-term rental platform is an online platform that facilitates the advertisement by hosts of Short-Term Let units and enables guests to book the accommodation.

All information that hosts provide to Fáilte Ireland will be used for the purposes to be set out in the Short Term Letting and Tourism Act 2025. This includes but is not limited to:

• The registration of your property and the provision of a short-term letting registration number to you.
• The publication of this registration information on a publicly and easily accessible register on our website.
• Prescribed reporting to relevant authorities.

The introduction of the new STL register will commence following the passage of the necessary legislation. All short-term letting (STL) hosts offering accommodation for periods of up to 21 consecutive nights will be obliged to register on the national Short-Term Letting (STL) Register which will be managed by Fáilte Ireland.
While existing bookings for periods beyond this can be fulfilled by the accommodation service provider, STL hosts should be aware that from the launch of the register:

• All STL units must be registered with Fáilte Ireland who will issue a unique STL registration number per unit.

• This STL registration number must be displayed on all listings/advertisements for the STL unit. Online short-term rental booking platforms will be legally obliged to facilitate this.

• There will be a requirement to declare that each unit registered meets their relevant statutory obligations.
  
  Fáilte Ireland advises all hosts who may be unsure of their statutory obligations to obtain any clarification necessary to ensure their statutory obligations are being met

Planning legislation, regulations and policy are set at national level by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. At a local level, planning functions, including monitoring and enforcement of the relevant planning regulations, remain the responsibility of the relevant Local Authority. Fáilte Ireland does not have a role in relation to planning and cannot advise or assist with any queries with respect to planning regulations. Any individual/case-specific questions should be directed to the relevant Local Authority.

Please see existing Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage guidance on Short-Term Letting - gov.ie - Circular PL 04/2019 - New Regulation of Short Term Letting (www.gov.ie)
Any queries in relation to the status or content of these guidelines should be directed to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

When registering, hosts must make a legal declaration about the unit regarding compliance with statutory obligations (by way of self-declaration). Fáilte Ireland advises all hosts who may be unsure of their statutory obligations to obtain any clarification necessary to ensure their statutory obligations are being met.

The Fáilte Ireland National Quality Assurance Framework was developed to provide visitors with the assurance that nationally recognised minimum standards are in place for tourist accommodation. The framework was also designed to maintain and develop standards across the tourism accommodation industry and to support the development of individual tourism accommodation businesses.

Registration on the Short-Term Letting Register does not mean that a unit is Quality Assured by Fáilte Ireland.

Yes. Under the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025, hosts offering Short-Term Lettings of up to and including 21 nights must register their STL unit(s) annually through the online registration portal - even if they are already approved under Fáilte Ireland’s Welcome Standard.

Self-catering businesses approved by Fáilte Ireland must register each unit on the Short-Term Letting (STL) Register in order to receive an STL registration number. This STL registration number must be included on all online booking platforms and listings.

Other accommodation types - such as accommodation provided in camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks, hostels and B&Bs will not register on the STL Register. Any business approved under Fáilte Ireland’s Welcome Standard will continue to be Quality Assured by Fáilte Ireland as normal.

All hosts renting Short-Term Lettings for periods of up to and including 21 nights will need to register their unit with Fáilte Ireland. Your Short-Term Letting registration number will need to be renewed annually.

No, if your accommodation is rented for a period of longer than 21 nights you will not require a Short-Term Letting registration number.

No, if your accommodation is rented for a period of longer than 21 nights you will not require a Short-Term Letting registration number.

Registration must be renewed annually as the number will expire. Renewal reminders will be issued prior to the expiry date. If you do not renew your registration, the unit is removed from the Register and the Fáilte Ireland issued STL registration number becomes invalid.