Renter pain as landlord turns entire unit block into AirBNB
Renters of a Brisbane apartment block are reeling after being told their entire building is being turned into AirBNBs. POLL
QLD News
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A Brisbane renter whose entire apartment block is being turned into permanent AirBNBs has slammed the landlord’s move as “infuriating”, with the Greens warning of more pain to come.
South Brisbane MP Amy MacMahon – who was contacted by the renter to share her distress – said this was “not an isolated incident”.
She said she and her inner city party colleagues were hearing more stories of renters being kicked out in favour of turning apartments into AirBNBs.
“In the lead up to the Olympics we are going to see more and more of this, as landlords attempt to cash in,” she said.
“We see this with the Olympics anyway – the existing community gets displaced.”
The renter on Twitter described getting a letter alerting her to the changes.
“Our landlord in West End owns the entire block of nine units. Today, each tenant received notice that our leases are not being renewed as he’s turning every apartment into an AirBNB,” she posted.
The woman went on to say it was “infuriating” and “disappointing”, given the city’s rental crisis.
Ms MacMahon said the renter had told her a number of families in the unit block were long-term residents.
“She and her partner are pretty shaken up,” she said.
“We’re in the middle of a housing crisis, and to evict long-term tenants … is pretty abhorrent.”
The Greens are currently pushing for a two-year rent freeze in a bid to ease the burden on renters.
Brisbane City Council announced in its most recent budget a new rate hike on property owners who listed their homes on short-term accommodation sites for more than 60 days each year.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said in June “we’re going to give landlords who’ve turned homes into mini hotels using websites like Airbnb and Stayz a choice between returning these properties to the long-term rental market or face significantly higher rates.
“If owners have these properties in the market for a short term, that is their choice, but what they’ll be facing now is a 50 per cent increase in their rates,” he said.
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