Airbnb laws under fire

NEW laws governing holiday letting services in NSW have been met with mixed reaction, with hoteliers denouncing them as a “cosy deal” between the state’s government and Airbnb.

After delays and internal political disputes, the NSW Government yesterday released its plan for regulating short- term holiday rentals on online platforms like Airbnb and HomeAway (the former Stayz).

The rules include a 180-day limit on the amount of time within a year that a Sydney property can be let, when the host is not present.

Areas outside Sydney will be exempt from time limits, though councils can apply their own caps of up to 180 days.

Other measures include a dispute resolution process, the ability for strata bodies to prevent short-term letting within an apartment block, and a code of conduct with a “two strikes and you’re out” rule for breaches.

The Tourism & Transport Forum (TTF) welcomed the laws, saying they recognised the “brave new world of the sharing economy” and addressed the concerns of the various interested parties.

However the Accommodation Association of Australia (AAA) denounced the laws as “weak regulation” that would cost jobs in regional areas while compromising consumer safety.

“This is a very disappointing outcome for the accommodation industry, particularly the way it seemingly thumbs its nose at operators of accommodation businesses in regional NSW,” said AAA ceo Richard Munro.

“On the surface, it appears a cosy deal has been struck between the Minister for Innovation/Better Regulation and Airbnb, with little or no input from our members,” he said.