Time running out fast on short-term holiday lets

With the government ducking its promised announcement this week on new laws on short term holiday rentals, it may be that they think there may be more of a backlash than they had imagined.

Could it be that your response to the call to arms from the Owners Corporation Network made them stop and think again about plans to loosen laws that, critics say, would turn our very best apartment blocks into holiday hotels?

Well, no, actually. It seems the hesitation was caused by MPs who didn’t want any restriction on short-term letting in apartment blocks becasue the poor little dears are scared (as they should be) that Airbnb will campaign against them in marginal seats.

Maybe we should identify these nervous Nellies and let them know what real people really think.

Last week, our friends at the Owners Corporation Network. asked you to email NSW Cabinet Ministers ASAP to head off a decision that could be disastrous for everyone living in strata. this week we learned that the government has delayed its announcement on the proposed laws.

This is what OCN said:

Last week, Channel Nine’s 6pm news reported that the NSW Government will make a decision on short-term letting at last Thursday’s cabinet meeting.  News item here.

The leaked information suggested that owners corporations will lose the right to say no to short–term letting.

The story said the government plans to open up all apartments to short-term letting, and put in place an unworkable model of multiple strikes for bad behaviour after the damage has already been done.

We can’t let this happen! We can’t have our homes turned into hotels!!

We risk our apartment communities being over-run by businesses making a quick buck, while our operating costs go up and residential amenity is negatively impacted.

There could still be time to stop this. We have received information about four key cabinet ministers to urgently lobby – they need to hear from all of us.  As does the Shadow Fair Trading Minister.

Please contact each of them today and urge them to protect the rights of apartment communities to be able say no to short-term letting and make their own rules. Highlight the risks of affordable housing being lost to big corporates seeking profit, and your concerns about the negative impacts on operating costs and residential amenity.

The ministers to contact today are (click on the names below for their contact details or email addresses):

John Barilaro, Deputy Premier  

Anthony Roberts, Minister for Planning

Pru Goward,  Minister for Family and Community Services, and Minister for Social Housing.

Adam Marshall, Minister for Tourism

Yasmin Catley, Shadow Minister for Innovation & Better Regulation