Bad Neighbour Boom
Wild parties, blow-ins & constant traffic: Local lobby slams ‘weak’ Vic short-stay laws as Airbnb listings soar across the region There could be trouble in paradise for locals, with new figures revealing 2500 listed short-stay properties in the Geelong re
BOOMING Airbnb property numbers, weak government regulation and concerns around destructive short-stay party houses may become an “absolute nightmare” for Geelong, lobby groups warn.
Figures from independent data-sourcing tool Inside Airbnb show there are about 2500 Airbnb properties listed in Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast — and more than 4000 across the Barwon South West region.
Airbnb’s growth and a lack of strong regulation to stamp out the use of the service for destructive party groups, would be harmful to the region according to lobby group We Live Here.
“It’s going to be an absolute nightmare in the Geelong area, especially for neighbours, because it’s going to continue to grow,” We Live Here director Marshall Delves said.
The group has criticised laws passed by the State Government to regulate the shortstay apartment industry, making owners liable for damage and noise caused by guests, allowing for compensation of up to $2000 for neighbours and fines of up to $1100 for unruly guests.
Strata Title Lawyers chief executive Tom Bacon said the legislation was the “weakest” in Australia.
“These regulations … do not provide owners corporations with any meaningful way of regulating the issues associated with short-term stays,” Mr Bacon said.
Surf Coast Shire Mayor David Bell said there were concerns about short-stay accommodation across the region.
“We have concerns on a number of levels. I don’t know if it is Airbnbs especially, or if they have just exacerbated the problem,” Cr Bell said.
“It’s more of a problem for those who live in some of the Surf Coast towns renting and can’t get a full-time rental because landlords can make so much more money in the peak season (doing short-stay rentals instead).
“People are being forced to move out for a couple months. I heard there were over 100 baristas in Lorne who were staying in the caravan parks because they couldn’t get accommodation.”
Cr Bell said the shire would look to the State Government for further guidance on what regulations were needed.
3228 Residents Association spokeswoman Sue O’Shanassy said there was concern over the use of short-stay rentals.
“What is concerning is the off-site Airbnb owners who are up in Melbourne and not able to control what’s going on,” she said. “You would hope people (running an Airbnb) would let their neighbours know and give them a way to contact them if there is a problem.”
Airbnb country manager Sam McDonagh said in March 80,000 visitors had stayed in Geelong using the Airbnb service, a 70 per cent increase over the previous year.
“It’s an important city for Airbnb,’’ Mr McDonagh said. “We have seen an incredible growth over 12 months.”
Concerns around short-stay accommodation being used by party groups have intensified, with incidents including the death of a 19-year-old woman at a Melbourne apartment in July, and the destruction of a Werribee home in December.