Here’s a dilemma that I’ve been waiting to see crop up in the Forum for a couple of years now – can short-term letting hosts be charged the difference if the insurance goes up because there are Airbnbs or similar STHLs in the block?
I say this because there seems to be a belief that Airbnbs are sacrosanct – you can’t restrict them in any way or charge them for any additional costs they may impose on the scheme. Or can you?
A Flatchatter has written to tell us that when their committee told their potential insurers that they had a couple of Airbnbs in the block, the insurance companies promptly withdrew their quotes then re-quoted at a rate 25% higher.
Tough luck on the rest of the owners, you might think, but then there’s Section 82 of the Act that says if an owner changes the use of their apartment so that it attracts higher insurance premiums for the block, then the owners corp or even individual owners can apply to the Tribunal to ask them to make the lot owner pay the difference.
So is turning your home into a holiday rental a change of use – the insurers seem to think so?
Has anyone ever heard of STHL hosts paying the difference? And would it fly if someone tried to force them? You’ll find the question, and an answer HERE.
Elsewhere in the Forum
- A tenant is using his garage as a gym while I’m trying to sleep. That’s HERE.
- Agenda for our ‘paper’ AGM only has the nominations for the existing committee and no option to nominate or vote for anyone else. Is that allowed? Chip in HERE.
- Is there a minimum number or frequency of strata committee meetings required to be held every year? That’s HERE. A tenant’s car and belongings were damaged in flood caused by a badly maintained hydrant. Who should pick up the bill? That’s HERE.
- Noisy timber floor approved by company title board in Victoria – that is one tangled web, right HERE.
- Special discount on embedded network check for Flatchatters, HERE.
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Tagged: airbnb, committee, forum, Strata
Here’s a dilemma that I’ve been waiting to see crop up in the Forum for a couple of years now – can short-term letting hosts be charged the difference
[See the full post at: Forum: Insurance bumped up because of Airbnbs]
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
› Flat Chat Strata Forum › Current Page
› Flat Chat Strata Forum › Current Page