Owners in relief plea
Unit owners in Townsville’s Strand have joined calls for the state government to empower them to ban shortterm rentals in their complex.
The issue has flared as booking app Airbnb announces a party ban and councils hike rates for unit owners who offer their properties for short stays.
Townsville unit owner Sandra Peel, who lives in the Watermark building, said some owners were ignoring a vote passed by unit owners to end the practice and that holiday letting was not allowed in a Class 2 building.
Ms Peel said short-term rental was increasing cleaning costs, causing pressure on insurance and council rates and introducing people to the complex without vetting by a property agent.
“We have had people wandering around of a night time. We don’t know who’s here or who they are. There’s no oversight of them. With long-term rental if you put a tenant in we have a property manager who vets them but with short-term rental it’s open slather,” Ms Peel said.
Strata Community Association (Qld)) is calling for the state government to introduce laws empowering body corporates to enforce bans in court.
SCA (Qld) president Kristi Kinast said short-term letting was creating angst for strata owners, as well as exacerbating the shortage in long-term rentals.
“We believe urgent and significant moves by the state government are needed to empower communities to ban this practice,” Ms Kinast said.
Booking app Airbnb has announced a permanent party ban in a bid to reduce damage to properties, while Brisbane City Council has announced new rating categories which will see owners of short term rental properties paying 50 per cent higher rates.
Ms Peel said Airbnb could not enforce their party ban, while councils did not have the resources to enforce building class restrictions.