Complaints outstrip approvals for Brisbane Airbnb-style rentals

Complaints to Brisbane City Council about Airbnb-style rentals outnumber the recent necessary development approvals by more than eight times, data from the nation’s largest local government shows.

The local government has, since July 2019, received 52 short-term accommodation applications, which are required to allow an owner to rent out a house or unit for stays of less than three months.

Of the applications — which include motels, backpacker hostels and serviced apartments, but not the rental of single rooms or granny-flats — 32 were approved by planning officers.

But while announcing a rates hike for short-stay rental properties in its last $4 billion budget, the council said it had received 275 complaints from the community about them in the past three years, and would lean on these and unspecified “data searches” to enforce the changes.

Thousands of properties across the Queensland capital are believed to be listed with short-stay providers, although the number is difficult to determine. However, the council now says the new rate category would likely apply to “several thousand” properties.

The detail comes as the state government reviews its own regulation of the sector, after a delayed and criticised crackdown in parts of NSW.

While the exact number is hard to determine, thousands of properties across the Queensland capital are believed to be listed with short-stay providers.Credit: Tammy Law

Significant pressure on the housing system has sparked a government-led roundtable and summit in coming weeks.

A council spokesperson told Brisbane Times the rapid rise of platforms such as Airbnb meant there were owners who, knowingly or not, were in breach of rules around the use of properties for short-stay accommodation.

“This is why we will soon be asking people to self-identify or inform us of properties they believe are being used for this purpose,” they said in a statement.

“Properties with planning approval in place will still be required to pay the new transitory accommodation rate if they meet the criteria.”

The spokesperson said a “range of actions” could be taken if properties were used for unapproved purposes.

“We expect several thousand Brisbane properties will eventually be required to pay the new rating category for short-term accommodation.”

The new rate category — effective since July 1 — applies to properties offered, available or used by paying guests for more than 60 days a year.

The council is yet to start asking residents to come forward or inform on others, or use online tools itself to discover those properties liable for the category, which would add about $600 annually to the city’s minimum rate category.

Labor’s council opposition and groups including the Queensland Council of Social Services have questioned the impact of the move, with the Greens calling for bans on Airbnb-style rentals in some areas.

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