‘It’s our futures too’: Owner supports short-term letting

Unit owners from a Maroochydore apartment complex have voiced their support for short-term letting despite criticisms from some residents.

An application has been lodged with Sunshine Coast Council to allow short-term letting at The Rhythm on Beach building in Maroochydore.

The Rhythm on Beach is a complex divided as some unit owners voice their support of short-term letting in the building.

It comes after several other owners spoke out against an application to allow the use in the Maroochydore apartment building, which had been caught out last year breaching short-term letting restrictions.

Father of two Mark Purkis owns two units in the building.

He said he was well aware of the short-term letting when he bought his units.

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Meanwhile, other owners have told the Daily they were aware there would be some holiday letting but were never informed it would be short-term stays.

Wollongong resident Mr Purkis disagreed with the group.

"I found it all quite a surprise because it was in the product disclosure that we could use them for short-term rentals, that was the way that I actually found them online as well with advertising for it to happen," he said.

"I found it quite surprising that people are now arguing against it.

"I understand that they're upset because they're in there and they feel like it's a hotel but they should have bought somewhere else if that's the case."

Mr Purkis said the units were an investment in his family's future.

"We pay our rates, we pay our body corporate fees (and) everything else just like everyone else does up there," he said.

"I think it makes us look bad whereas realistically we aren't doing anything wrong and we bought it for that purpose, everyone in the building was aware that was the purpose they were meant for.

"That's all well and good for them to have a rant and rave about it all and say that it's their future and their money but it's the same with us, it's our future and our money as well.

"If we were doing something sneaky and tried to get around the situation fair enough but when it was very open and clear to everyone I just think it's ridiculous that they think they have the right now to affect our future and our incomes."

Sunshine Coast company Direct Hotels has been co-ordinating short-term letting at the Rhythm on Beach since April last year.

A show cause notice issued in September by Sunshine Coast Council to the building's body corporate highlighted a condition of the building's 2016 development approval was it not to be used for short-term letting.

Since then several unit owners have come forward to lodge their objection to an application for 23 of the 72 units to be classed as short-term letting.

Concerns raised by residents also include transient people coming and going creating chaos in the building through alleged damage and disruption.

The 38-year-old builder said he hadn't heard of any issues with guests in his units.

"I don't really here much of it to be honest," Mr Purkis said.

"They (Direct Rentals) take care of everything for us and we see our money each month.

"So far, so good."

Mr Purkis said he would be left in the lurch should the application to the council not be approved.

"We might have to sell them, I don't know because at the moment we've done all our figures on that," he said.

"If we don't get it I suppose we look at long term rentals but yeah it's not the same sort of return that we put our money forward for.

"It's like 'yeah they're all upset about their money' but what about ours?

"No one seems to care."

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