Noosa Council investigates impact Airbnbs, holiday homes have on rental market

Residents living at a holiday destination are struggling to find affordable rentals, prompting the local council to look at the impact of Airbnbs.

The council governing a holiday destination is investigating the impact Airbnbs and the short-stay accommodation industry is having on a rental affordability crisis gripping the region.

Noosa Council is awaiting results from a new housing needs assessment to determine how holiday homes and units could be worsening the lack of rental properties in the area.

It comes amid the Sunshine Coast Daily’s Locked Out campaign which aims to bring to light the region’s housing-affordability crisis.

Vacancy rates at Noosa and the Sunshine Coast are at their lowest at around 0.6 per cent and the lack of rentals is taking a toll on businesses struggling to find employees who can afford to live in the region.

Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart said a housing needs assessment had not been completed since 2017 when the area was significantly different.

Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart.

While she did not want to pre-empt the results, Ms Stewart said holiday homes and units were not the only contributors to the lack of housing.

“The housing crisis is not unique to Noosa, we’re at the lowest vacancy rates Australia wide,” she said.

“Whether or not we can attribute it all to short-term accommodation, I think that’s doubtful.

“It may come into play but I’d say there are a number of factors.

“There’s also the impact of Covid and having people wanting to move to regional areas.”

Noosa Council data shows 23 per cent of properties in coastal areas were used for visitor accommodation properties but Ms Stewart said there was a need for more accurate information.

Ms Stewart said it was a challenging debate because those homes that were rented for short-term accommodation were unlikely to be affordable if placed on the long-term rental market.

“Affordable housing is our big issue in Noosa,” she said.

“If we have a $3m property close to the beach, that would be rented out (long term) for thousands a week.

“That’s not affordable.”

The housing report is expected to be presented to council in October.

Originally published as Noosa Council investigates impact Airbnbs, holiday homes have on rental market