Clarity needed on impact of legislation on tourist accommodation providers

Fears that legislation due to be introduced by government will have a devastating impact on small scale tourist accommodation providers across County Meath have been expressed by a local couple who run a small tourism business beside their home.

Derek and Geraldine Keogh, who are committee members on the Irish Self Catering Federation (ISCF), have a small tourism business known as 'Pheasant Lane' beside their family home at Killallon, which is two kilometres from Clonmellon. They have refurbished the outhouses of their period farmhouse into two self-contained units which they rent out as short term lets. However, a lack of clarity on new legislation, designed to stop the practice of properties being let out on a the more lucrative short term basis rather than making them available to the long term rental market, has caused huge concern among those who run small tourism businesses.

According to Derek, the legislation could have a massive potential impact on such accommodation providers and commented that a search of airbnb in Meath shows 568 results with many of these being on people's principal private residences.

Under the new legislation currently going through the Houses of the Oireachtas, a register will be set up by Fáilte Ireland for all tourist accommodation in Ireland.

Derek said they have no issues whatsover with this register and think it is a great idea. However, he said one of the boxes they will have to tick as part of the licensing application is to say they will regulate their planning within six months. Under the proposal, Airbnb and other accommodation sites won't be able to advertise any properties that don't have a licence number attached and proper planning and face fines if they do.

Because all of Meath is a Rent Pressure Zone, Derek fears planning permission will not be granted for any short term lets despite them being located in a rural location and he feels that there are "unintended consequences" to the bill.

He also pointed out that getting planning permission is an expensive process. As it currently stands, he said any person who is running a bed & breakfast with less than four rooms from their own principal private residence is not required to go for planning.

He says the bill could have a massive effect on attracting people into the area , as this legislation also even applies to rent a room for people attending concerts, race meetings, festivals, greenways, visiting family and friends etc... as well as the large number of overseas visitors who want to stay in authentic Ireland and the areas which is not viable for mainstream hotels to locate.

"It will have a devastating impact on the rural villages who rely on this type of tourism to supplement the family income or have invested in it as a their pension".

Derek and Geraldine feel that there should be exemptions in the new legislation for those who are genuinely involved in tourism and say that the planning guidelines need to be published before the bill is enacted as otherwise politicians don't know exactly what they are voting on.

"We are trying to highlight the potential scenarios and flaws so it can be dealt with at draft stage," said Derek.

"There should be certain exemptions for people who can show they run a tourism business, such as being a member of Failte Ireland or ISCF who can prove they are in business and genuine.

He also feels cognisance should be taken of such properties that are in rural non-dense areas where they are of no benefit to the housing stock.

"There has been no joined up thinking. There has been unintended consequences and rural Ireland has been lumped in with the urban areas. It is including properties that weren't meant to be in the net but inadvertently are caught in it."

Maire Ni Mhurchu, chairperson of the Irish Self Catering Federation (ISCF) has also been calling for revised planning guidelines for short term rentals to be published and debated before the new registration system is introduced. “This is the only way that policymakers, stakeholders and self-catering providers can know how tourism and tourism related jobs will be impacted. Self-catering operators and small accommodation providers are terrified of losing their livelihoods.”

“The simple fact is that there is absolutely zero clarity on what impact the registration system will have on tourist operators. We were left with a farcical situation where the Oireachtas is debating a registration enforcement measure, without knowing what rules it will enforce."

Senator Shane Cassells who is a member of the Tourism Committee who conducted pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill said he shares the fears being expressed by operators in rural parts of Meath.

“It was said that the operators in rural Ireland, in areas that were heretofore not the subject of tourism traffic, are now benefiting in particular because of things like greenways where people are off the beaten track.

“I see that now as a new greenway will be opened in my county and will stretch from Navan to Cavan. It is amazing what a greenway can do for the area.

“A greenway provides a different type of tourism product so a different type of operator is required that is beyond the traditional type of operator, which is what people are looking for in the tourism offering.

“We have so many rigid systems and people are so fluid now in how they choose that they need to be given other offerings.

“I do not envisage that the Department is doing this to hurt rural tourism operators, but there can be inadvertent consequences."