Gold Coast City Council application to host property on AirBnb can cost as much as $8086

AIRBNB says Gold Coast City Council has gone too far in its crackdown of short-term rental properties by “burdening everyday folks with red tape and a clunky approvals”.

The Australian head of Airbnb, Sam McDonagh in Surry Hills, Sydney.

GOLD Coasters are to be slugged $8086 to rent out a room or their homes under changes to the city plan in February.

As part of city council’s enforcement of party houses, most Gold Coast AirBnb hosts must now apply for development permits to be able to rent out their properties legally.

Two show cause notices have been issued to AirBnb hosts since February and another 40 short-term rental owners separate to AirBnb are also believed to be under investigation.

Hundreds of other AirBnb hosts are potentially at risk of being issued show cause notices by council for having not applied for permits.

The view from a property on the Gold Coast available on AirBnB.

In the past 12 months, AirBnb has close to doubled its Gold Coast portfolio to around 2000, many of whom have signed up since February.

AirBnb said the Gold Coast City Council had gone too far with its changes to the city plan in “burdening everyday folks with red tape and a clunky approvals process”.

The cost of a material change of use (application) for short term accommodation is $8086 for 10 or less units.

AirBnb Australia country manager Sam McDonagh said the share economy giant welcomed regulation but said the council had gone too far.

The view from a property on the Gold Coast available on AirBnB.

“Any measures to burden everyday folks with red tape and a clunky council approvals process would be deeply disappointing and out of step with the rest of the country,” he said.

“Overwhelmingly, Airbnb hosts here are everyday people — mums and dads, seniors and young families.

“They’re listing their home or spare room occasionally to make a modest extra bit of income.”

Independent Retirees Association Gold Coast Branch president Robert Grover said the move was another hit to seniors, many of whom he suspected rented out their properties on a short-term basis to supplement their income.

“The cost of living is going up all the time. At the moment retirees are facing a decreasing income and ever-escalating increasing costs,” he said.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's $30 million Airbnb New York pad. Picture: Airbnb

“There are probably some retirees who are considering renting out their place and going out on holidays as a means of getting just a little bit of additional income.

“It might only be for four weeks a year.

“Maybe that’s a way of just supplementing their income.

“Then you’ve got the retiree who decides he wants to have a holiday down in NSW somewhere and he uses AirBnb to find a place.”

A council spokeswoman said the applications process was under review.

“Council has investigated six complaints specifically relating to Airbnb uses and many more relating to other short-term accommodation uses,” the spokeswoman said.

“Complaints of this nature are investigated on a case-by-case basis to ensure the correct use category under the city plan is determined and action taken where a development offence is identified.

“Under the city plan, Airbnb uses are generally characterised as short-term accommodation.

“Such uses are generally assessable development which requires a development permit.

“If the use existed prior to the commencement of the city plan there may be existing use rights which mean a development permit is not required.”

A Gold Coast woman who did not want to be identified, said she was horrified when the council stopped her from listing her property on AirBnb last month.

“I would move out, go and stay with a friend and just move back in and they said that I wasn’t allowed to do it because short-term letting was banned since the new plan came into being,” she said.

“The whole thing is absurd.”