Brisbane City Council to ban Airbnb’s and other short-term rentals in certain suburbs
Brisbane plans to ban Airbnb and other short-term holiday homes in some suburbs, forcing operators to seek council approval and introduce a three-strike complaints system.
Brisbane City Council will introduce reforms to low- and medium-density zoning at Tuesday’s meeting.
With the new rules coming into force in June next year, around 500 homeowners were expected to be told their properties could no longer be used as short-term accommodation.
High-density suburbs close to the city will not be included in the ban.
Anyone operating short-term accommodation in these suburbs could be fined up to $140,000. The price of the permit has not yet been determined but the council said it would be a cost-saving measure.
Anyone granted a permit will be required to appoint a 24-hour authorized person who can respond to complaints within one hour and report to the municipality that day.
They will need to provide guests with house rules and have public liability insurance.
A new warning system will eliminate permit holders’ right to operate after three warnings from the city.
The council will also continue to advocate for changes to the state’s corporate laws to give apartment owners more power to limit short-term rentals in their buildings.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the scheme would support the tourism industry while limiting holiday accommodation disturbances in quieter parts of the city.
“This new legislation is about striking a balance between supporting tourism and economic activity and protecting the peace of our suburbs where people live,” he said.
However, the council did not expect this move to reduce rental prices. A 2023 University of Queensland review found short-term rentals had a limited impact on rental affordability.
The study found that adding housing stock is far from a successful way to impact rent affordability. It found that a 10 per cent increase in Queensland’s short-term rental listings would increase rents by 0.2 to 0.5 per cent, while 10 per cent more homes would reduce rents by 1 to 2 per cent.
The proposed amendment to the law was put out for public consultation until February 16 next year.
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