Where a room or rooms in an individual’s principal private residence (PPR) are let as residential accommodation and the gross annual rental income is less than €14,000 per annum, this rental income is exempt from Income Tax, PRSI and USC.

Revenue has confirmed their view that income from short term lettings, such as through Airbnb bookings, does not fall within Rent a Room Relief. In fact Revenue advise that income from short term lettings is not rental income but trading or miscellaneous income.

The Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 was signed into law on May 31st 2019. There are a number of changes enacted and will come into effect at various dates over the next few months.

NOTICE OF TERMINATION OBLIGATIONS AND PROCEDURES
Effective from 4th June, the legislation provides for a number of changes such as:

1. Where a landlord intends to sell – a landlord must enter into a contract for sale within 9 months of the termination date or must offer to relet the property to the tenant.
2. Where a landlord intends to substantially refurbish the dwelling – the landlord must provide certification by a registered professional that the works would pose a threat to the health and safety of the occupants, would require vacation of the property and would take at least 3 weeks to complete. The landlord must offer the property back to the original tenant on completion of the works
3. Where a landlord intends to move in or move family in and where a landlord intends to change the use of the dwelling – the landlord must offer the property back to the tenant should it become available for let from 12 months from the expiry of the notice of termination.

As the Irish economy continues to grow, so too does the energy requirements of SMEs and the agricultural sector throughout the country. Ireland is transitioning to a low carbon economy in an effort to meet both Government and international targets and to reduce the economy’s dependence

According to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) the scale of these challenges is significant, and it will require a coordinated interplay of technology, infrastructure and actions by organisations and individuals to shape Ireland’s energy future. For the past number of years, SEAI has been supporting Irish businesses, large and small, as well as the Irish agricultural industry, to shift to more sustainable energy use by providing a range of support services. This includes mentoring, training, standards development and a number of financial supports to help companies to become more energy efficient, deliver measurable savings and reduce their energy bills. There are six main grants available from SEAI that would be of great interest to SME’s and the agricultural sector.