HOME ON THE RANGE
AIRBNB STAYS SURGE AS RESIDENTS OPEN DOORS
ON THE back of the floodgates opening for Airbnb hosts during the Carnival of Flowers earlier this year, the city’s lucrative private rental market continues to surge. In total, the Toowoomba region has 238 active rentals, bringing in an average of $111 a day for residents willing to throw open their doors to strangers. That number has rocketed since 2015, when only 67 home owners listed their properties on the Airbnb website.
MOUNT Lofty is Toowoomba’s most profitable suburb for Airbnb hosts, with homeowners able to cash in an average $1841 in extra revenue.
According to data listed by Airdna, an online Airbnb data analysis company, 55% of homes listed with Airbnb across Toowoomba were booked out.
The most popular suburb for hosts is East Toowoomba, with 28 hosts advertising their homes on the website.
The number of Airbnb rentals surged in the past two years, with the number of available homes in the Garden City rising to 238 this year from 67 in 2015.
Hundreds answered the call during the Carnival of Flowers this year when a hotel room shortage hit the city. Homeowner Louise O’Mara was one of those who opened her home to carnival-goers.
“A little while before Carnival of Flowers, I realised there would be a lack of accommodation with both Quest and Burke and Wills out of action. So I listed our house and didn’t really expect much of a response,” she said.
“To our surprise, we had a couple from the Gold Coast ask about staying with us for the three main nights of carnival. Then a few days later we had a uni student from Newcastle ask to stay during his residential school stay at USQ.”
While Mrs O’Mara’s experiences as both a host, and a guest have been positive, it is the financial boost that convinced her to continue listing her home on Airbnb.
“At the time we had some medical bills to pay so it really came in handy,” she said.
“But I wouldn’t rely on it as a source of income as you can go months without anyone needing a place to stay.”
At the time we had some medical bills to pay so it really came in handy. — Louise O’Mara