The Galway branch of the Community Action Tenants Union (CATU ) took action this week to highlight the effect short-term lets are having on the community.
Coinciding with the start of the Galway International Arts Festival, CATU Galway members erected signs at key sites in the city to draw attention to the detrimental effects of short-term lets and the worsening housing crisis in the city.
Signs reading “Housing over tourism” and “Airbnb is killing our community” were erected in Eyre Square, Spanish Arch, the Salmon Weir Bridge, and Shop Street.
According to CATU, 96% of short-term lets in Galway are offered illegally, without planning permission.
Inside Airbnb recorded 1105 active listings across the city and county last year, excluding hosts with only one listing, an incredibly conservative estimate according to Threshold. Daft.ie had only 116 homes for rent in March 2026.
On Daft.ie, rent has gone up by 99% in the last five years. Threshold data shows that for every long-term rental, there are ten short-term lets.
Under the Short Term Letting and Tourism Bill 2025, landlords will be required to register short-term lets on a registry by December 31 (opening on December 1 ). Landlords will receive a registration number that they must display on any marketing for their property.
The original deadline for registration was May 20 but it was delayed by the Government.
Because City Hall uses the Planning and Development Act/Regulations to enforce short-term lets, violations must be dealt with as a criminal prosecution, requiring evidence beyond a reasonable doubt.
This is hard to achieve with sites like Airbnb, the exact address of a property is only received after booking.
CATU Galway committee member Conor Maloney said, “With landlords completely ignoring planning laws and the Council’s inaction on enforcement, we have a situation that has drastically exacerbated the housing crisis in Galway.
“The main issue here is landlords renting out entire homes on Airbnb – homes that should be available for Galway residents to live in long-term. They disregard our planning laws with no penalty and rake in massive profits while the community suffers.
“We understand that Galway has an important tourism industry, but this should not come at the expense of those who call Galway home. We are now dealing with over-tourism and we need action to be taken to ensure Galway is affordable and liveable for residents. We want neighbours.”
As other cities in Europe have done to protect their residential housing, CATU Galway is calling for a complete ban on whole-home STLs and for Airbnb and other platforms to be fined for every illegal STL listed on their sites.
CATU can be contacted at [email protected] for more information on the union
