Airbnb and short-stay rentals

[canetoad]

A thread yesterday bemoaned the number of short-stay rentals in their neighbourhoods. It's no different here in Oz, people cannot rent accommodation and neighbours and frazzled.

Dan Andrews, our left wing hero State Premier in Victoria just announced an up-to 7.5% levy on short stay platforms. About time.

Victoria to hit Airbnb and short-stay rental platforms with 7.5 per cent levy from 2025

Short-stay rental platforms, such as Airbnb and Stayz, will face a 7.5 per cent levy from 2025, the Victorian government has announced. Premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement as part of Victoria's housing statement, a policy document aimed at boosting housing supply.

The document notes that short-stay rental sites have become a "popular feature" of Victoria's visitor economy, but they have reduced the availability of properties for longer-term use.

"In Victoria, there are more than 36,000 short-stay accommodation places — with almost half of these in regional Victoria. More than 29,000 of those places are entire homes," the document states.

"These are places that cannot be used for longer-term accommodation or rented out on fixed-term agreements — so it makes sense that they should provide some benefit toward the places that can." The 7.5 per cent levy will apply to revenue from the platforms from January 1, 202

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-20/airbnb-victorian-tax-properties-short-stay-rental/102878180

[Merlot]

1. Or they could require permits for the short term rental properties

It sounds like they've got to many rentals. Permits with requirements, possibly for some properties having a minimum 30 day stay might free up some housing as some owners would drop out of the market.

Also, they need to differentiate between whole houses being rented versus people renting out rooms in their homes.

I don't see how putting a tax on the rentals "benefits places that can" be rented out full time.

[canetoad]

2. Noted

I'll pass your suggestions along to my local town planning department.

[Merlot]

5. That's how they handle it where I lived.

Things were getting really out of control with party houses popping up all over the place. There was a party house right across the street from me, fortunatly it was a smaller house so parties were not to big. That house was owned by a developer. I was doing the ABnB thing on my house when I was out of town (was traveling a lot at that time), then they implimented a permit system and minimum 30 day stays. So I lost revenue, but the parties across the street stopped.

[leftyladyfrommo]

3. The problem we are having is party houses that go

24/7. These are homes in very upscale neighborhoods. Cities in affluent neighborhoods are writing new laws.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. Something has to be done

Air BnB was a great concept at first, but it's doing real harm to communities right now. I think there needs to be rules around how many AirBnBs corporations or groups can own. People don't realize that AirBnBs changed the math and corporations are buying up homes sight unseen to rent out as Air BnBs. So you've got hotel groups now buying 300 homes across the country to make into AirBnBs, their business model allows them to make cash offers at 20% above asking, no regular buyer is going to be able to compete with that. It's driving home prices through the roofs and making owning a home unaffordable to many.

And as someone else pointed out, some AirBnBs are party houses. The people staying there are don't care about the neighborhood and act unruly. When AirBnB first started, it was kind of a niche market with tech head type customers. It's devolved into a free for all with partiers renting homes for a week of debauchery.

[JI7]

7. Is it worth it ? I know some renters and they said it's not easy money

THe ones I am talking about was probably before Airbnbs became big . They rent long term mostly in the summer in a beach area which gets tourists . They said the cost to clean up , fix and whatever else makes it difficult to make much profit.

[shrike3]

6. I won't stay in them.

I don't judge anyone who does, but I won't stay in them.

[Chakaconcarne]

8. Renters face less risk going through AirBnB vs long term rentals/tenants...

I hear time after time how landlords are facing huge losses because tenants are ripping out appliances and trashing the rentals... and it takes an act of god to get these people out...

I get it... Fix that problem first.

[Straw Man]

9. Short-stay rentals are destroying the affordable-housing market ...

... in my community, forcing many to pull up roots -- sometimes generations-long roots -- and leave. There has also been a corresponding rise in homelessness.

This isn't Aunt Maude renting out the guest cottage to put some more cash in the cookie jar. It's wealthy corporations destroying a community. It needs to be regulated, and soon.