Airbnb blaze sparks warning
The tourism industry says a fire in an Airbnb property is a wake-up call for accommodation providers and guests.
Six members of a Malaysian family of 10 were taken to hospital after fire broke out in a three-storey Airbnb rental in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner on Sunday night.
Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said it was a reminder that peer-to-peer rentals – including Airbnb, holiday homes, and driveway campervan sites – did not have to have fire escapes and other fire safety measures that were compulsory for commercial operators.
‘‘Both parties in the transaction need to be aware that it doesn’t come with the same securities that commercial accommodation does,’’ he said.
Fire safety investigators are treating the blaze as accidental, but have not revealed the cause.
Airbnb, which has 29,000 listed properties in New Zealand, said it had provided the Malaysian family with two nights’ hotel accommodation.
‘‘We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate incident in Christchurch overnight and our thoughts are with those affected.’’
An Airbnb spokesman said safety was of ‘‘the utmost importance’’ to the organisation and negative incidents were rare.
Hosts were encouraged to install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and safety cards with details of evacuation routes, fire extinguishers and emergency service numbers.
BookaBach general manager Peter Miles, who lists 12,000 holiday homes on his website, said he expected properties to be ‘‘up to code’’ with smoke alarms, and advised that fire extinguishers were a good idea.
He said some councils limited the number of people staying at each property to between 10 and 12, and Bookabach kept an eye on occupancy levels.
‘‘If we got a three-bedroom place that says it sleeps 16, we would question that,’’ he said. ‘‘Most bach owners don’t want their properties trashed, so in most cases people are pretty conservative about numbers.
‘‘Where it gets a bit scary is with peerto-peer properties where people are trying to milk the short-term investment.
‘‘What’s the limitation on somebody putting tonnes of bunks in a bunk room?’’
Hospitality New Zealand accommodation spokesperson Rachael Shadbolt said the Christchurch fire reinforced long-held industry concerns about the need for proper fire standards and evacuation procedures.
‘‘If you’re making a living [out of Airbnb], you should be paying commercial rates and adhering to the regulations commercial accommodation providers have to adhere to.’’
Shadbolt said a few Airbnb hosts running commercial operations had approached her seeking copies of the fire evacuation notices put on the back of motel room doors.
‘‘But unless you are told ‘You will,’ a lot of people wouldn’t do it.’’