Hello from Dublin, Ireland!

Hi,

I'm seeking advice and any tips people might have for someone setting up a hostel.

I have been running a small short-term rentals business since about a year and a half ago. It started with one 4-bed property and I now have 20 rooms spread over four 4-8 bedroom properties which I rent from landlords and sub-let to short-term tenants on a room by room basis. I have a reasonable understanding of the business & promotion side of things so bringing in enough customers is likely to be the least of my problems, I'm both happy (and sad!) to report that I've been turning away business for 6 months due to lack of capacity, so it's mainly the compliance side of things that I'm looking for help with as I'm completely brand new to that side of things.

I have found a suitable property to rent (an old monastery/school) but I am wondering about what kind of legal requirements does one normally have to comply with to carry out a hostel business on a particular premises. The agent tells me that the property is covered for use as a hostel under it's current planning permission and that the insurance should be €2,000 per annum.

But there's a lot of other things I'm really haven't a clue about, such as how do I ensure that I'm meeting Health & Safety regulations (For example, needing fire escapes, number of toilets/showers required per room/beds and things like that).

Another thing I'm unclear about is the distinction between residential and hostel use. I'm told the building I'm interested in doesn't have planning permission for residential use. So I was wondering how long can someone stay in a hostel before they are deemed to be no longer a guest/visitor, but actually resident there? Is there any kind of limit on how long someone can stay in a hostel? The main reason being is that most of our current tenants/customers are looking for a fun hostel type experience where they can meet new friends, but most would be staying for between 3-6 months, and sometimes longer.

I'm sure there's probably lots of other things I should be aware of as someone getting into this business for the first time, so all advice and suggestions are very welcome!

Thanks in advance,

Marc