Geelong, Surf Coast Airbnb listings surge amid rental crisis

Airbnb listings are skyrocketing in the Geelong region as renters suffer. SEE THE HOTSPOTS

Airbnb Australia and New Zealand boss Susan Wheeldon.

Local Airbnb listings have exploded in the recent years as renters struggle to find homes, according to new figures.

According to “mission driven project” Inside Airbnb, Greater Geelong had 2076 listings and the Surf Coast 2210.

Airbnb did not share its figures, but it’s understood the company has issues with the reliability of data used on third-party sites.

The Inside Airbnb figures, dated December, showed hotpots for listings of the short-stay accommodation included central Geelong, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Torquay, Anglesea and Lorne.

Meanwhile, the latest Victorian Rental Report data for the December quarter,showed just 1.4 per cent of lettings on the Surf Coast and 9.8 per cent in Greater Geelong were deemed affordable.

Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Deborah Di Natale.

Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Deborah Di Natale said if we look at the rock-bottom vacancy rates along with sky-high rental prices, it’s clear the rise of short-stay accommodation is adding to Geelong and the Surf Coast’s housing crisis.

“We’re seeing more people under enormous pressure and being pushed into homelessness across the region,” she said.

“Governments must look at regulation but it’s really only one factor in the broader crisis.

“The state government’s Big Housing Build is a welcome first step but … the May budget must include a commitment to ramp up the levels of social housing in Geelong and the Surf Coast.”

Recently Warrnambool council voted to introduce an annual fee of $400 for Airbnb providers to run their properties.

Surf Coast Shire placemaking and environment general manager Chris Pike said at this stage, council was not considering changing the type of rates applied to properties used for short-stay accommodation.

“This is largely due to the complexity and ambiguity around the reclassification of properties of this nature and the overall cost-benefit of administrating and enforcing the change,” he said.

“Instead, we believe state government policy reform is needed.

“We are asking the state government to commit to undertaking the Better Regulation Victoria review of regulatory imbalances in the accommodation sector between traditional and short-stay accommodation that was deferred due to the pandemic.”

“We would like to see the state government introduce policies that encourage owners of short- stay rentals to return those properties to the long-term rental market, potentially through lifting the rate of land tax that applies to short-stay accommodation and other reforms.”

Susan Wheeldon from Airbnb. Source: Supplied

Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb country manager for Australia and New Zealand, said housing affordability was a challenging and complicated issue.

“The causes differ from place to place, with legacy factors – which often pre-date the founding of Airbnb by decades – ranging from the supply of new homes, the ratio of public housing, the number of empty dwellings and rooms, interest rates and broader economic conditions,” she said.

“Late last year, Airbnb proposed a series of measures that will help build stronger communities, foster sustainable tourism growth, and equip governments across Australia with tools to help address important issues, such as housing affordability and amenity.

“The proposal included the introduction of statewide registration schemes and codes of conduct in every state and territory, support for a tourism levy to fund housing and community projects, and support for government reviews of eviction protections to ensure that current systems are fit-for-purpose and provide adequate housing security for long-term renters.”

She said short-term rentals provided a way for everyday people to stay afloat and combat rising costs of living and growing mortgage repayments.

A state government spokeswoman said it had introduced laws to limit disruption caused by unruly short-stay guests in apartments and continued to monitor the wider impacts of the sector.

“The $5.3bn Big Housing Build is providing 12,000 social and affordable homes across the state and build-to-rent incentives are also helping to boost stock for long-term renters,” she said.

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Originally published as Geelong, Surf Coast Airbnb listings surge amid rental crisis