More than half of all properties available to rent in Dublin are currently listed as short-term letting for tourists, according to research published by Daft.ie.

Fianna Fáil has previously tried to regulate short term letting platforms, including Airbnb.

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Housing Darragh O'Brien TD said: "Over the course of 2016, 1,103 homes in Dublin were booked via Airbnb for more than 80 nights consecutively. It has now emerged that over 50% of homes to rent in the city are listed as tourist lets and are therefore not available for long-term letting.

"These latest figures illustrate the need for Government to progress with the regulation of Airbnb and other short term lettings platform before the rental market becomes even more saturated.

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"Fianna Fáil's bill introduced on the floor of Dáil Éireann reflects the findings of the Oireachtas Housing Committee's report published last year and which urged the introduction of a 90 Day limit for short term letting.

"Such a measure would ensure that these homes would instead either receive full planning permission to allow for letting beyond 90 days or are brought back into the rental market.

"Our proposed regulations will not affect the average Airbnb host but will rightfully restrict professional listers in Dublin who are earning upwards of €5,000 a booking and subsequently placing massive pressure on the need for long-term rental accommodation.

"Major international cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London and San Francisco have initiated regulations on Airbnb and given the scale of our rental crisis we too need to take appropriate action.

"The introduction of comprehensive regulations similar to the ones we have previously proposed will put an end to this dubious practice, enable ordinary home owners to lease their apartment on occasion and prevent any further loss of unit from the longer term rental market," concluded Mr O'Brien.

(CM)