This is in response to your rental rant article of 13-14 June. I’m a bit late in responding to
your request re short stay letting but I hope this will be helpful.
I am an owner-occupier in an older block of 7 units in Coogee. Three other units are owner-occupied, and the remaining three are let.
We owner-occupiers have had serious disruption to our lifestyle over the last two to three years with holiday letting, short-stay letting in the two units. Minimum stay in both is three days. They are
both advertised on airbnb. It took me a bit of a search to find the two units advertised on airbnb – but I found both advertised, with lots of images that showed beyond doubt that the units were at this address.
I then wrote a letter to the local Council, detailing the problem and pointing out the airbnb site. The compliance officer inspected and subsequently issued notices of intention to issue an order. We await compliance!
I intend to write to the Mayor about the subject of your article, that holiday letting in areas not zoned for such, is part of the cause of the serious shortage of long term rental property in this area.
A two-bedroom, one sunroom unit in this block can take in $1,200 a week holiday letting, and more money than that with extra people staying (i.e. more than four and up to nine).
Prior to the holiday letting, I think the long term rent for the unit was around $700 to $750 per week.
(no view, no garage, no balcony, no parking, older block).
PS. What is the situation with public liability insurance and building insurance should a claim arise from a “guest” short-stay who is injured on common property, or whose actions damage common property? Would not insurance companies have exemption clauses regarding commercial holiday letting, short stay letting in residential blocks not zoned for short stay letting? Would such activity void the policy?
And is a strata manager, or the Executive Committee under an obligation to disclose the short stay letting to their insurance company – duty of disclosure clause?
If this angle of attack against holiday letting is a valid one, perhaps it could be used to help free up the rental market for long term renters.