Senator Kevin Humphreys has welcomed the announcement of the long-promised restrictions on short term lets but has called on Minister Eoghan Murphy to bring these restrictions in before June 2019.

Commenting today Senator Humphreys said: "We shouldn't have to wait another 8 months when stricter laws could deliver an extra 3,000 homes now."

He added, "After two long years of continual pressure and campaigning from members of the Oireachtas like myself, I am glad that Minister Murphy has announced new restrictions on short lets. However, the delay of the implementation is worrying.

"We have just received new homeless figures yesterday which show 171 more without a home since last month, that’s nearly 6 people every day, 3829 of them are children.

"How many more people will be driven out of their rented accommodation between now and next June due to short-term lets?

"I welcome this announcement but we are in the middle of the housing crisis, unlike anything we have seen in decades.

"I think the Minister should expedite this legislation. I doubt he will find much opposition from anyone in the Dáil for the delivery of rental market regulation. Unless he is simply worried he needs the seven months to get his own party members onside."

As of August 2018 there were 3,165 entire properties for rent on Airbnb in Dublin, compared to 1,329 properties available for longterm rent on Daft.ie. This is at a time when there are over 1,350 families homeless in the greater Dublin region alone

In 2015, Airbnb lobbied the Irish government to ensure profits made through Airbnb got a substantial tax break

In 2017, there was a 63% increase in Airbnb usage across Ireland. During the same time period, homelessness in Ireland increased by 2,000 people.

"Airbnb appears to have rapidly colonised vast amounts of our city, locking people out of homes," said the Take Back the City protest group earlier this month.

"Airbnb have exacerbated the housing crisis in Dublin and Ireland as a whole. A platform that markets convenience by “disruption” has delivered nothing but chaos to the people of our city.

"They have no place in our city – the city should serve the needs of all its people, not the needs of tech, finance and the tourism industry."