DA lodged for 7 Harrison Street Point Frederick short term holiday rental
A row is brewing in one of the Central Coast’s most expensive suburbs over an Airbnb holiday mansion neighbours say has become like ‘Kings Cross with wild parties every other weekend’.
A row is brewing in one of the Central Coast’s most expensive residential streets over a $700 per night Airbnb holiday house that neighbours say is being used for “wild parties”.
A development application has been lodged for short term rental accommodation in the waterfront mansion at 7 Harrison Street, Point Frederick — a suburb where the median house price is $1.45 million.
One objection has already been lodged by next-door neighbours Colin & Sally Campbell.
“I live next door and since April it is tantamount to living in King Cross with wild parties every other weekend, the most recent ending at 4am this morning [4/11/2018],” their submission said.
Other residents have until November 22 to submit their thoughts on the development application to Central Coast Council.
The property could become something of a test of the State Government’s mandatory code of conduct for short term holiday lettings which comes into force next year.
The code will cover anyone involved in providing or using short-term holiday letting including hosts, guests, online platforms, and letting agents.
It will establish a ‘2 strikes and you’re out’ policy where hosts or guests who commit two serious breaches of the code within two years will be banned for five years. Platforms and letting agents will not be permitted to offer services to anyone, or any dwelling, that is listed on the exclusion register.
A strike will include any behaviour which unreasonably interferes with a neighbour’s quiet and peaceful enjoyment of their home.
The Code will establish a complaints system, which will be available to neighbours of short-term holiday letting premises, strata committees and owners corporations.
Owners making an effort
According to CoreLogic the property is owned by Gong Shuhong Zhang and Hao Feng Guan who purchased the sprawling 4-5 bedroom property in December last year.
They have also lodged a statement with Central Coast Council as part of the development application process.
The statement says they let out four bedrooms and keep their belongings in a fifth “study”.
“We also permanently resides onsite and we check the house as we do have personal belongings in the house including a boat which we use regularly,” the statement said.
“We are making an effort to reduce the noise complaints, and we already implemented several rules in our house rules (which the guests must obey), such as no swimming past 10pm, noise level to a minimum past 10pm, no events and parties.”
The statement said efforts were being made to address claims that cars coming and going were too noisy.
“We are making a conscious effort to ensure our neighbours are not disturbed, and I have left my phone number to our neighbours so they can bring up any complaints about the guests with me directly. We are trying our best to accommodate our neighbours.”
However, Colin and Sally Campbell have disputed claims that the owners live at the address.
Important reforms
Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said the coming short-term holiday letting reforms bolster NSW’s sharing
economy while clamping down on unruly guests.
“Our plan is a win-win. It acknowledges the huge financial contribution online booking platforms make to the NSW economy, but also takes a zero-tolerance approach to raucous guests,” Mr Kean said.
“Changes are also being made to the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (external link) so owners’ corporations can pass by-laws to ban short-term letting in their block, if the host is not present, and they get a 75 per cent majority vote.
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