Rental property Ireland: Company rents family homes to tourists in rent pressure zone

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Jan 11, 2022

A company that rents 23 family homes in Dublin 4 to tourists says “it may turn out to be a more affordable option than hotels.”

rookman Town Homes rents two and three bedroom homes in the Donnybrook Manor Estate for up to € 195 per night, with a minimum five night stay required. It is registered with Fáilte Ireland and advertises its services on Airbnb and Discover Ireland.

Local labor adviser Dermot Lacey said Ireland needed a housing policy which was “about the provision of housing”.

“We put homeless people in hotels and tourists in houses,” he said.

“We don’t have a good housing policy in this country. I remember growing up, a house was a place you used to live, and in the 1990s it became an investment.

Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews said it was disappointing to see family-sized houses rented out to tourists as the inability of people to find accommodation was the “biggest issue” raised by his constituents.

Donnybrook is an area of rent pressure – an area where people struggle to find affordable housing.

There are currently 34 properties advertised for rent in Donnybrook on Daft.ie, with prices ranging from € 2,000 per month for a one-bed apartment to € 10,400 for a four-bed apartment. The number of properties available for long term rental in Ireland has declined dramatically.

A recent report by Daft highlighted how, on November 1, there were only 1,460 homes available for rent nationwide – down 65% as of the same date in 2020.

Brookman Town Homes has been renting apartments and houses to tourists and business travelers for 35 years.

Lawyer Stephen MacKenzie is the director of the company, which is also registered with the Irish Self-Catering Federation.

Over the years, the homes have also been rented out to movie stars, West End musical actors, embassy staff and international sports stars. During the pandemic, they also rented to people who were to be quarantined upon arrival in Ireland.

The company claims it is a tourism-oriented business and has never provided long-term accommodation.

Naomi Kidney, director of Brookman, told the Independent Irish the company “appreciates the pressures many families are under due to the current housing shortage, but long-term housing has never been a part of Brookman’s business.”

“We don’t expect that to change in the foreseeable future,” she said.

“I know that some providers of previously long-term rentals have moved to short-term rentals advertised on Airbnb. But that’s not the case at all with Brookman Town Homes. Although we use Airbnb to advertise our services, our business model has remained the same since we started trading. “

She said her services are generally used by people who prefer to have their own home when they are away, as “it can turn out to be a more affordable option than hotels.”

“We often provide accommodation for Irish families returning from overseas, who are between houses when moving, or who are doing renovations, etc. and have to move.

Houses can be rented from one to six weeks, while some can stay longer if needed. A spokesperson for Fáilte Ireland said Brookman had been registered as an independent accommodation provider since the 1990s.