Hobart City Council to seek report on potential short stay accommodation restrictions

The Hobart City Council will seek a report on potential short stay accommodation restrictions, as the industry warns of the possible impact to the sector. LATEST >>

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A REPORT on how to potentially restrict the number of whole house short-stay accommodation properties in Hobart will be sought by the Hobart City Council.

Last night, the council considered a notice of motion from Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds and councillor Jax Ewin asking for a report on possible amendments to planning regulations to “more appropriately control the number of private properties being converted to short stay accommodation.”

It passed 6-3, with Alderman Will Coates, Simon Behrakis and Jeff Briscoe voting against it.

It was revealed earlier this month, Hobart’s vacancy rate rose to 1.4 per cent in August but has since returned to 0.6 per cent, as it was in February.

University of Sydney housing researcher Professor Peter Phibbs said at 12 per cent, Hobart had a greater density of Airbnb listings as a proportion of the overall rental market than any other city in Australia – and one of the highest densities globally.

Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Cr Reynolds said the investigation was not an attack on short stay hosts and that the state government’s data had been “problematic.”

Ald Behrakis said the bigger issue was housing supply.

“Rather than further restricting the way the people can develop their own land and use their own homes, we should be doing everything we can to encourage and support new housing development in our city,” he said.

Alderman Simon Behrakis. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Online holiday rental platform Stayz corporate affairs director Eacham Curry said the impact of short-term rental accommodation on housing availability and accessibility had been overstated by the council and they should carefully consider the state government’s data before progressing “unnecessary restrictions.”

“As the Tasmanian tourism sector emerges from the dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, moves to unnecessarily restrict our sector will put Tasmania’s tourism-led economic recovery at risk,” he said.

“Moves to make it harder to let out a family holiday home will only drive up the cost of accommodation and send valuable tourist dollars to other parts of the country.”

Eacham Curry, of Stayz, in Hobart. Picture: JACK PAYNTER