Belfast City Council increases enforcement on short-term rentals and prepares new planning rules, citing ongoing concerns about their impact on the city's housing supply.
Belfast City Council has escalated enforcement actions against short-term rental properties. New planning guidance is also being developed amidst concerns regarding visitor accommodation's impact on the city's housing supply.
Between January 2025 and June 2026, the council issued 19 enforcement notices, according to The Irish News. Eleven of these were issued in the first half of 2026 alone, compared to two in 2024 and none in 2023. Dozens of investigations remain active.
This enforcement coincides with AirDNA data, supplied to The Irish News, identifying 1,942 active short-term rental listings across greater Belfast. Of these, 1,526 were entire-property listings; 416 offered private or shared rooms.
Converting an entire residential dwelling to short-term accommodation requires planning permission under Belfast’s Local Development Plan, as it constitutes a change of use. Applications are assessed via policy HOU13, considering factors like public transport access, proximity to tourism clusters, and management. If an existing home is converted, part of the property must remain permanent residential accommodation. The council prepares Supplementary Planning Guidance to clarify its policy. All visitor accommodation in Northern Ireland also requires Tourism NI certification.
These actions follow debate about Belfast’s rental market. PropertyPal data shows the city’s average monthly rent rose by 57 per cent between Q1 2021 and Q1 2026. However, the report noted multiple factors influenced these rents and did not establish a direct causal link with short-term rentals.
For property owners and visitors, this indicates a stricter regulatory environment for short-term rentals in Belfast.
Source
ShortTermRentalz — reported 27 July 2026. Read by the Amorielli news desk.
