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Northern Ireland: Belfast City Council has increased enforcement against short-term rental properties and is preparing new planning guidance as concerns continue over the effect of visitor accommodation on the city’s housing supply.
The council issued enforcement notices against 19 short-term rental properties between January 2025 and June 2026, according to figures reported by The Irish News.
Eleven notices were issued during the first half of 2026, compared with two throughout 2024 and none in 2023. Dozens of investigations are also understood to remain active.
The enforcement activity comes as data supplied to the newspaper by AirDNA identified 1,942 active short-term rental listings across greater Belfast. Of these, 1,526 were entire-property listings, while 416 offered private or shared rooms.
Under Belfast’s Local Development Plan, converting an entire residential dwelling into short-term accommodation constitutes a change of use and requires planning permission.
Applications are assessed under policy HOU13, which considers factors including access to public transport, proximity to tourism clusters or visitor attractions and management arrangements. Where an existing home is converted, part of the property must be retained as permanent residential accommodation.
The council is now preparing Supplementary Planning Guidance [SPG] intended to clarify how its short-term rental policy should be applied.
All visitor accommodation in Northern Ireland must also hold certification from Tourism NI before operating.
The council’s action follows continued debate about Belfast’s rental supply. PropertyPal data showed that the city’s average monthly rent rose by 57 per cent between the first quarter of 2021 and the same period in 2026. However, the report acknowledged that several factors have affected rents, and the data does not establish that short-term rentals caused the rise.
Highlights
- Belfast issued 11 short-term rental enforcement notices during the first half of 2026.
- AirDNA identified 1,942 active listings across greater Belfast, including 1,526 entire properties.
- A 12-week consultation on dedicated short-term rental planning guidance is being prepared.
- Entire-home conversions require planning permission under Belfast’s existing policy.
- Tourism NI certification is mandatory for visitor accommodation across Northern Ireland.
