Airbnb, Stayz homes set for big boost to number of nights

THE State Government is set to relent and allow Tasmanians with Airbnb and Stayz properties to offer double the number of nights without a permit.

THE State Government is set to relent and allow thousands of Tasmanians with Airbnb and Stayz properties to offer double the number of nights without a permit.

Premier Will Hodgman will use his address at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event in Hobart today to move away from the previously announced non-permit period of 42 nights a year.

Premier Will Hodgman. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

It is understood the Government is considering extending the non-permit period to more than 100 nights.

Mr Hodgman said the state’s booming tourism industry was part of the rationale for the decision.

“It is a fact that without the sharing economy and companies like Airbnb and Stayz, Tasmania would have a serious accommodation shortage,” he said.

“Across Tasmania, Airbnb has around 2000 active listings, and Stayz has more than 1000. Already, around 10 per cent of visitors to Tasmania use Airbnb.”

LUKE MARTIN: IT’S A NEW WAY TO SEE THE WORLD

KATRENA STEPHENSON: THERE’S A STRANGER IN MY SPARE BED

Under the Liberals’ sharing accommodation policy announced in March, Tasmanians would be able to rent out properties or spare rooms for six weeks a year without a permit under the new state planning scheme.

The changes were a bid to clarify rules around residential short-term accommodation, while keeping the tourism and hospitality lobby happy.

But at Tasmanian Planning Commission hearings in July, executives from Airbnb and Stayz joined local hosts to argue against the Government’s proposed changes.

MORE: AIRBNB, STAYZ RALLY AGAINST PROPOSED RESTRICTIONS

The policy to limit the number of nights a property could be rented out was labelled the most “draconian” accommodation sharing framework in Australia.

Mr Hodgman will tell CEDA today the Government is keen to strike the right balance between competing interests of existing businesses and those in the sharing economy.

“We have sought to strike the right balance by extensively consulting, and assessing what happens in other jurisdictions,” he said.

“In the home sharing market we put a stake in the ground and proposed that a property owner be able to rent their property for up to 42 nights without a permit. This was a starting position for all those with an interest in this space to consider, and provide feedback on.

“The Tasmanian Planning Commission, and the Government, is engaging all stakeholders and canvassing a variety of views and perspectives. Once the process has concluded I am confident we will be able to land a point that strikes the right balance, and which puts Tasmania at the front of the pack in the sharing economy.”

MORE: THA BOSS CRITICISES UNREGULATED AIRBNB ACCOMMODATION

The Tasmanian Hospitality Association and the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania had welcomed the 42-night cap on sharing accommodation, arguing the unregulated industry was unfair on accredited businesses which must comply with extensive regulations.

The Government’s other foray into the sharing economy policy space has been to change transport laws to allow Uber to launch Hobart.