Direct Rentals submits an updated application to allow for 24 units to holiday-let

The saga continues for a high-rise apartment complex in the heart of Maroochydore over a controversial bid to allow short-term letting.

A proposal to allow short-term letting at a Maroochydore high-rise apartment building has gained momentum.

A proposal to allow short-term letting at a Maroochydore high-rise apartment building has gained momentum once again after the developer was forced to halt the bid in March.

Sunshine Coast company, Direct Rentals, has been co-ordinating short-term letting at The Rhythm on Beach complex since April last year.

After discovering the arrangement, the Sunshine Coast Council issued a show cause notice in September last year to the building's body corporate for breaching short-term letting restrictions by acting as an unapproved hotel.

Direct Rentals had applied to turn 23 units in the 72-unit building into short-term accommodation in February.

However, after an extension, Direct Rentals lodged an updated application on April 27 to include an additional unit, taking the total to 24.

The application had angered residents and apartment owners who maintained they were unaware of the plans for short-term letting.

Mr Thomas previously said a letting agreement was one of the documents in the disclosure documentation that unit owners had to sign as part of their purchase.

Residents of The Rhythm on Beach say they will fight a development application to turn their apartment complex into a short-term accommodation provider.

In a letter dated February 12, the council advised that the earlier application had not been properly made and required written consent of the body corporate.

As part of the update, legal advice has now been provided to the council from Mahoneys Lawyers.

That letter, dated April 23, started that 'in the circumstances, the consent of the body corporate is not required, as it is not the owner of the premises to the application.'

Direct Rentals director Adam Thomas

On Monday, the council's principal development planner Marc Cornell, informed Direct Rentals that further information was required in order to assess the proposal.

The letter noted several key issues arising from the application relating to the revised set of plans, operational management plan, service vehicles and waste collection.

Council has requested an amended set of plans showing the area of each unit proposed to be used as short-term accommodation as well as an operational management plan to show how the holiday letting will be managed.

Direct Rentals has until August 24 to respond to the information request.

Resident Howard Malyon said the process has been an interesting one.

"Now it's a case of waiting to see how Direct address the queries council have raised," he said.

"As Direct have 90 days to respond to council, I don't believe there will be any change to the situation until some time in August."

Mr Thomas previously said his company was unaware the property was not approved for short-term holiday letting until the council's show cause notice was received.

"The owners we represent have asked us as their letting agent to request the code assessable use be approved," he wrote.

"We have been in consultation with the committee and many owners after receiving such notice that the disclosed code assessable use was not in place."

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Originally published as Direct Rentals submits an updated application to allow for 24 units to holiday-let