Strata body takes Airbnb battle to the top

APARTMENT owners in the city are taking their battle against Airbnb up a notch with high level negotiations to begin with the US-based business this week.

Steven Goddard and Michael Heaney want short-term leasing in their buildings restricted.

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THE fight to allow strata bodies to decide whether short-term letting is allowed in their buildings will take the next step this week as the Owners Corporation Network meets with representatives from Airbnb.

The OCN’s “Our Strata Community, Our Choice” campaign highlights the situation of apartment owners who say they have lost control of who stays in their buildings.

In December, Central Sydney revealed strata bodies from Elizabeth Bay, Potts Point and the CBD pledged to support the campaign — raising more than $60,000 towards the goal of fighting state regulations which prevent owners from banning short-term leasing through companies such as Airbnb in their buildings.

Following successful meetings with Minister for Planning Anthony Roberts and Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean and a potential face-to-face with Premier Gladys Berejiklian, the OCN will sit down with Airbnb representatives from the United States.

Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean. Picture: Troy Snook

Planning Minister Anthony Roberts. Picture: Dave Swift

The OCN’s Stephen Goddard said Airbnb had been requesting a meeting with the peak body for several months.

“We initially resolved not to speak to Airbnb until we had spoken to the government and it had heard what we wanted to say — so we can now meet with Airbnb and be transparent about what we’ve been saying,” Mr Goddard said.

Following the release of the company’s Friendly Buildings Program, a tool to help settle disputes between landlords, building residents who are hosts, and their neighbours, Mr Goddard said he believed Airbnb was slowly realising that it must be “accountable to the people”.

Apartment owners say they have lost control of who stays in their buildings.

“You can’t use a building as a defacto hotel without asking the Owners Corporation Network whether it’s a good idea or not and at last Airbnb is realising that even they and the platform they represent must be accountable to the people who have statutory duty of care to preserve common property,” Mr Goddard said.

While the Friendly Buildings Program is only in the US at the moment, it’s potential for rollout in Australia meant the OCN was determined to show the company that it needed the support of strata bodies before any progress could be made.

The meeting comes as the NSW Government is considering its response to a recent Parliamentary Inquiry into the adequacy of the regulation of short-term holiday letting in NSW, which is due in April.