Short lets in Irish apartments: management company consent and insurance

Updated 27 September 2026. Most conversations about short lets in Ireland focus on planning permission and the new Fáilte Ireland register. For apartment owners, two other documents often decide the matter first: the lease and house rules of the building, and the insurance policies that cover it. Neither is changed by a grant of planning permission or a registration number. This article explains how they work and how to approach them before a guest ever arrives.

Why apartments are different

When you buy an apartment in Ireland, you normally buy a long lease or the freehold of your unit together with membership of an owners' management company (OMC). The OMC owns and manages the common areas: the entrance, stairs, lifts, car park, bin stores and grounds. It collects the service charge, insures the structure and enforces the rules that keep a shared building liveable. Short-stay guests use exactly those shared spaces, which is why the OMC has a real say in whether and how short letting works in the block.

The lease comes first

Read the lease of your unit, not a summary of it. Three kinds of clause matter:

• User covenants: many leases restrict use to a private residence or a single private dwelling. Paying guests coming and going every few nights sit uneasily with that wording.
• Nuisance and annoyance clauses: these give the OMC grounds to act if guests cause noise, damage or security problems.
• Letting and notification clauses: some leases require the owner to notify the OMC of any occupier or to obtain consent before letting.

A planning permission for short-term letting does not override a covenant in a lease. The two are separate legal systems: planning law governs land use, while the lease is a private contract enforceable by the OMC or the landlord.

House rules under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011

Section 23 of the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 allows an OMC to make house rules for the effective operation and maintenance of the development and to enhance the quiet and peaceable occupation of the units. The procedure is set out in the Act: owners receive at least 21 days' notice of the meeting with a draft of the rules, the owners in the relevant part of the development approve them at that meeting, and the OMC then sends copies to every owner and every unit. Once adopted, house rules bind owners, their tenants and their licensees, which includes paying guests. Where a breach is material, the OMC can recover the reasonable cost of remedying it from the owner as a debt.

In practice, house rules about short lets range from requirements to register guests, restrictions on key boxes and luggage in common areas, and quiet hours, to outright prohibitions where the lease supports them. Ask the OMC's managing agent for the current rules and any proposals on the next AGM agenda.

Approaching the management company

• Write to the OMC before listing, describing how the unit will be used: maximum guests, minimum stay, check-in method, cleaning schedule and a named contact who answers at any hour.
• Offer concrete safeguards: no key boxes on the building, guests briefed on bins and noise, a quick response to any complaint.
• Ask for any consent in writing, and keep it with your title documents.
• If the rules already prohibit short lets, look at other uses rather than hoping no one notices; complaints from neighbours usually start with the OMC.

Insurance: two policies to check

The first is the building's block policy, arranged by the OMC. Insurers price it on the use of the building, and commercial short letting may be something the insurer needs to know about. An owner who lets without telling the OMC can put the whole building's cover in question, which is one reason OMCs react strongly to unannounced lets.

The second is your own cover. A standard home or landlord policy is typically written for owner-occupation or a tenancy, not for a stream of paying guests. You will want contents cover suited to short stays, protection against accidental and malicious damage by guests, loss of income if the unit cannot be let after an insured event, and public liability cover in case a guest is injured. Tell your insurer exactly how the unit is used and get the answer in writing. Some platforms offer host protection programmes, but read their conditions: they are not a substitute for an insurance policy in your name.

How this fits with the register and planning

When the Fáilte Ireland register opens, you will declare that the unit complies with planning, building control and fire-safety requirements. The declaration does not mention your lease or your OMC, but a property that breaches its lease is a fragile business: the OMC can seek remedies whatever the register says. And in cities and towns of more than 20,000 people, planning permission for new short lets in apartments faces a presumption of refusal under the National Planning Statement approved in June 2026. For many apartment owners the realistic choices are home-sharing, a longer-term tenancy or a mid-term let rather than a full short-let operation.

A short checklist

• Lease read in full, with any user covenant noted.
• Current house rules and AGM minutes obtained from the managing agent.
• Written position from the OMC.
• Block policy terms confirmed; own insurance adapted and confirmed in writing.
• Planning position and register requirements checked.

Where we come in

Hexuvium has managed short stays for owners since 2015, starting in Brussels, and experience shows that a good relationship with the building is worth more than any single booking. Tell us about your apartment; we study every request and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.