Council finds 18 illegal Airbnbs
Two years after discovering hundreds of illegally-operated Airbnbs in Christchurch, the city council has yet to prosecute or fine any owners.
Since 2018, the council has grappled with how to regulate the short-term accommodation industry, despite calls from moteliers for it to enforce existing rules.
Under the District Plan, owners in most residential zones need a resource consent to rent out their entire properties as short-term accommodation, but the law is not monitored or enforced. The council acts only when it receives a complaint.
The council, earlier this year, conservatively estimated about 1600 homes are listed on various home-share websites without the necessary consent. That figure is likely to have reduced following the Covid-19 crisis, but moteliers say there is still an urgent need to regulate the short-term accommodation industry.
The council has previously said it did not have the staff needed to track down the unconsented providers.
Since June 2018, the council has received 44 complaints alleging illegal home-share accommodation activities.
Council head of regulatory compliance Tracey Weston said following investigations, the council found 18 of those complaints were valid.
However, no abatement or $300 infringement notices have been issued, nor were any prosecutions initiated, because once the council made contact with the owners the activity ceased and the listing removed.
Weston said considerable time and resource was required to determine whether home-share accommodation activities complied with the District Plan and the council had received a low number of complaints. Earlier this year, the council consulted with the public about what changes, if any, needed to be made to the District Plan regarding short-term accommodation.
Options ranged from allowing whole home listings everywhere, to putting restrictions in some areas and not others. Another option was to limit the number of days a home could be listed for.
More than 425 people and organisations sent their views to the council and it would take those into account before deciding on a preferred option, which could lead to a change of the planning rules.
Council staff were expected to make a recommendation to councillors in the coming months, council head of planning David Griffiths said.
Weston said while the review was going on, the council was focusing on responding to complaints that were potentially having a negative impact on neighbouring properties.
However, Hospitality New Zealand accommodation sector chairman Bob Pringle said there was little desire from the council to enforce the existing laws. ‘‘They’re trying to shift the laws to fulfil what they have not had a desire to do. It’s serious when the council has not prosecuted one person.’’