City waiting on state to make short-stay rule changes

With Busselton’s house and rental prices rising along with the rest of the country, calls have come from analysts and locals alike for councils to bring in restrictions on properties rented out on short-stay services like Airbnb.

Council was asked by a member of the public at its Wednesday meeting whether it intends to follow other local governments in tourist towns such as Byron Bay in increasing rates, and limiting the amount of time properties can be listed.

Mayor Grant Henley estimates there are “around a thousand” properties listed for short stay accommodation in the City of Busselton. There are, as of writing, 371 houses or apartments available for booking in Busselton, and a further 769 around Dunsborough and Yallingup.

“We do acknowledge that removal of properties from the long-term rental market for short-term rental through AirBnB has caused issue at a time where there is a shortage of housing,” he said.

“We are certainly well aware of steps that have been taken in other states and jurisdictions which, in a lot of cases, have different regulations to WA.”

The New South Wales government has brought in a cap meaning owners of short stay rentals can only list them for 180 days in a year. WA currently has no limit in place.

The state government has been working on legislation since a parliamentary inquiry in 2017 to bring a limit in. The originally tabled plan would limit owners to 60 days per year. Making their properties available any longer than that would require development approval. An expensive and time consuming process.

However, Mr Henley said he had a recent conversation with former Premier Mark McGowan, where he suggested it may be extended to 180 days.

Whatever the outcome is, Mr Henley said the City would have to wait for the state government, as any rules they bring in could make the City’s redundant.

“I have heard different figures of 60 to 180 day exemptions from those requirements to register, which would make totally unenforceable any regulatory framework that we seek to impose.”

“We are awaiting the outcome of the 2017 parliamentary inquiry, where the state has suggested it will introduce legislation at some time where it will seek to impose a regulatory requirement on the platforms.”

The City of Busselton already enforces one of Australia’s strictest codes of conduct on short-term rental managers and tenants. It includes a limit on guests after 10pm, a maximum number of cars parked at the property, and forces managers to have their contact details visible from the street.

“The City is considering other measures, but we are certainly reluctant to go through the process of introducing those measures should the state’s legislation render them unenforceable,” Mr Henley said.