Brisbane Olympics: Council refuses to rule out crackdown on short-stay accommodation

Operators of short-stay accommodation in Brisbane are generating a median monthly revenue of more than $3600 while long-term renters are struggling to find a home, prompting the possibility of a crackdown in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics.

Brisbane City Council has not ruled out placing pre-­approval requirements or suburb caps on short-stay accommodation operators like Airbnb ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.

Despite the growing rental crisis, there are roughly 5000 active short stays currently in Brisbane, with operators generating a median monthly revenue of more than $3600, according to AirDNA data analytics.

Noosa Council implemented strict short-stay local laws in February, after it found 86 per cent of its short-stay operators were based outside of the area, with 51 per cent of those living outside of Queensland.

Their new local laws require landlords to appoint a manager or contact person who lives within 20 minutes of the property and can respond to any safety concerns or complaints, as well as a pre-­approval process for all short-stay and home-hosted properties which must be renewed annually.

Brisbane City Council has now confirmed it is also “monitoring” short-term accommodation, while refusing to rule out if it would follow suit by considering its own restrictions like placing short-stay caps on particular suburbs, or if short-stay accommodation should be regulated to free up the rental market prior to the 2032 Olympics.

“Short-term stay accommodation is an issue authorities across Australia are grappling with and one which Brisbane City Council will continue to monitor closely,” a spokeswoman said.

Short-term accommodation will be at a premium around the time of the 2032 Olympics. Pic Peter Wallis

Rental vacancy rates in Queensland tightened to record lows in the first quarter of 2022 in more than half of the 50 Local Government Areas and sub regions reported on by the REIQ.

Brisbane City Council Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy said action on short-stay accommodation and the wider rental crisis must be taken now ahead of the 2032 Games.

“Brisbane City Council could and should be doing so much more to address housing affordability,” Mr Cassidy said.

“As well as short-term rental levies, council should also be partnering with expert housing providers like Brisbane Housing Company on projects that increase the supply of social and affordable housing.

“With the Olympics and Paralympics just 10 years away, Brisbane’s housing and rental affordability crisis is only going to get worse unless we act now.”

His words were echoed by Brisbane Greens Member for The Gabba Jonathan Sri, who said companies like Airbnb were known to “aggressively pressure governments” not to restrict operations.

“Research from other Olympic cities shows that hosting mega-events like the Olympics dramatically accelerates this trend, and that many won’t revert to long-term rentals after the Games,” he said,

“Airbnb is not at all transparent about how many homes are being converted to short-term accommodation via their platform in Brisbane, and the company is known to aggressively pressure governments not to restrict its operations.

“By far the biggest concern is that every home that’s turned into short-term accommodation is one less home that’s available to local renters.”