Rogue Airbnb operators allow party houses to disrupt neighbourhoods

THE Queensland Government is facing mounting pressure to act on rogue Airbnb operators amid increasing reports of wild parties disrupting quiet neighbourhoods.

A scene from the film Bad Neighbours, shows the horrors a party house can inflict on the family next door. Picture: Supplied

THE State Government is facing mounting pressure to act on rogue Airbnb operators amid increasing reports of wild parties disrupting quiet neighbourhoods.

The online homestay network is calling for change to laws that have failed to keep pace with the burgeoning short-term rental market and is demanding a clear guarantee from authorities that hosts can rent part of their home or the entire property without punishment.

Bodies corporate have joined the push for legislative change but want the short-term rental market regulated and greater powers banning it from trouble-prone buildings.

Solicitor Frank Higginson says the current situation is a free-for-all of “wild west proportions”. Picture: Supplied

Airbnb head of public policy Brent Thomas welcomes rules and regulations that are fair. Picture: Jennifer Crawley

The Sunday Mail has been told of Airbnb guests causing mayhem for other tenants by throwing out-of-control parties, climbing over balconies and running naked in front yards.

Strata law solicitor Frank Higginson, who has been inundated with inquiries from frustrated neighbours and bodies corporate, said the State Government needed to introduce a common legal framework across the state.

“Anything would be better than the current situation, which is a free-for-all of Wild West proportions,” he said.

The short-term rental market is currently regulated by the state’s 77 local councils creating a quagmire of laws while noise complaints are dealt with by police.

Mr Higginson said local governments either lacked the rules to deal with the problem or were ineffective at enforcing them.

Airbnb public policy boss Brent Thomas said Queensland needed to clarify legislation. He pointed to the example set in South Australia, which last year confirmed hosts could operate without a development application approval.

“One of the things we consistently hear from our hosts and councils all over Australia is that the rules governing home sharing are sometimes difficult to interpret and require a lawyer to understand them,” he said.

“In some cases they were written long before the internet even existed.

“We’re all for regulation and rules that govern home sharing, but they should be fair, progressive and allow everyday people the opportunity to open their homes to visitors from around the world.”

Mr Thomas said the overwhelming majority of Airbnb guests were respectful but the tech giant was committed to stamping out those who broke the rules.

Strata Communities Australia CEO Kim Henshaw said his members wanted to see legislation that allowed tenants to live without being disrupted by short-term guests throwing rambunctious parties.

The Department of Justice’s Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management offers dispute resolution services.

While the office doesn’t keep data on complaints received, there has been a “steadily increasing number of general inquiries about short-term letting operations such as Airbnb and Stayz”, a spokesman said.

Queensland University of Technology is currently undertaking a review of property law for the State Government, which will include reviewing whether bodies corporate have enough power to make and enforce appropriate by-laws to keep tenants safe and comfortable. Recommendations are expected to be released shortly for consultation.

Nicole Bryce lives next to an Airbnb property that is regularly used for wild parties and fears for the sake of her sleep and her children, she may have to pack up and leave. Picture: Annette Dew

FAMILY FORCED TO CONSIDER SELLING UP TO ESCAPE BAD NEIGHBOURS

AT FIRST, Nicole Bryce didn’t realise the house next door was being rented out to Airbnb guests.

When she arrived home with her kids one day in late 2013 she knew something was not right.

That was the day they found naked people dancing on the back deck by the pool. That was the day her quiet neighbourhood changed forever.

“I thought that was a weird one-off but have since realised they were backpackers,” she told The Sunday Mail.

“They were having some kind of rave with techno music and they were rubbing their bodies.”

Ms Bryce estimates the stunning Wooloowin property has been rented out to Airbnb guests about two or three times a week for large parties that go late into the night.

“We’ve had strippers buzz our front door in the middle of the night because the house next door is hard to get to,” she said.

The mother-of-two said she’s tried to reach a resolution with the owners of the property but has so far failed to reach an agreement.

She’s gone to the police, who have referred her to the council, who have referred her back to the police.

She’s been in contact with Airbnb, but still the problem has not been addressed, she said.

Ms Bryce said she was not anti-Airbnb, not even anti-parties as she loves a good gathering.

“When it works properly, it’s lovely,” she said. “When it’s properly regulated, we have zero issue with it.”

But ongoing sleepless nights have forced her family to consider moving.

“We don’t want to leave here,” she said. “We love our little home. But if the kids can’t sleep during the night or they wake up crying, we have to do something.”