Cottages boss puts properties up for sale warning of similar fate for hundreds more over EU rule.

THE stark reality facing the self-catering industry was spelled out by Cottages for Couples boss, Peter Warburton, who said five of the properties that his company manages have been withdrawn from the letting market and put up for sale.

Peter is now warning that hundreds of AirBnBs in West Cork will be wiped out next year leaving an accommodation crisis that could spell disaster for the tourism industry.

The blow to his Skibbereen business has come well in advance of the short-term-lettings legislation, which requires all properties, such as AirBnBs, to be registered by May 2026 – a move that requires planning permission.

‘For more than three decades, my wife Anna and I have devoted ourselves to rescuing and restoring old, derelict cottages across West Cork,’ he said. ‘What began as a passion project preserving heritage buildings has grown into a thriving family business.’

He said the company managed 15 properties, ten of which they own outright, while five are managed under leaseback agreements with UK investors.

Mr Warburton said the first of these five properties was put on the market last week, with four more added this week.

He warned that the proposed legislation could result in the closure of hundreds of businesses in West Cork who do not wish to start on the lengthy and costly process of applying for planning permission.

Mr Warburton, who is a member of the Irish Self-Catering Federation (ISCF), said these closures will have a knock-on effect on the local economy and put jobs in jeopardy.

He said the 15 Cottages for Couples enterprise welcomed over 5,000 visitors to Skibbereen last year and contributed an estimated €2m to the local economy.

‘We employ 12 staff, and support dozens of suppliers from laundry firms and tradespeople to building suppliers and local food producers,’ he added.

Mr Warburton pointed out that his figures are supported by a year-round occupancy rate of 90%, with their guests providing ‘reliable business to local pubs, cafés and restaurants 52 weeks of the year’.

As a company that has won TripAdvisor’s ‘Best of the Best’ award five years in a row, Mr Warburton said the new letting legislation has placed his business ‘in the most uncertain period since we started’.

He said the proposed legislation, which is the Irish government’s response to an EU directive, will cripple sustainable tourism businesses that have been ‘built on hard work, long-term investment, and a commitment to rural Ireland’.

He said while he understands the EU directive is aimed at addressing the housing crisis the government is doing it by ‘tearing the heart out of businesses like mine’.

He said the one-size-fits-all rule has spooked investors and lots are deciding to sell up.

He claimed the loss of five properties in the Skibbereen area alone would result in a €800,000 drop in tourism revenue.

Mr Warburton said the ISCF supports the introduction of a register because it will bring clarity and transparency to the industry, but he likened the government’s approach as ‘throwing a hand grenade into the mix’.

He refuted the argument that towns under a population of 10,000 will be exempt from having to apply for planning permission.

The full scope of the new regulations are still evolving and smaller towns may be subject to other regulations including the short-term let register and/or a 90-day rental limit per year.

The rule, as he sees it, is: ‘No planning permission, no registration.’

If thousands of businesses apply for planning permission under a system that is already under-staffed, Mr Warburton suggested: ‘This legislation will completely gum-up the planning process.’