SUNSHINE COAST AIR BNB CRACKDOWN

Recently, some Sunshine Coast Air BnB owners have come face to face with a local council crackdown for those offering short-term accommodation in low density zoned areas without the right permits.

In accordance with updates to the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014, properties built prior to the year 2014 should have no issue when renting out their dwelling as a short-term or holiday rental if the property is complying to regulations and is lawful.

However, houses built after the year 2014 in low density zoned regions that are currently being rented out regularly for short-term accommodation or holiday rental might be required to submit a Material Change of Use (MCU) or Development Approval (DA) application through the Sunshine Coast Council to seek approval to use the property as regular short-term accommodation.

Sunshine Coast Council as well as many Australian councils regularly consult with short term holiday rental data specialists to monitor this accommodation sector and shut-down non-complying or unlawful holiday rentals. Councils have the option but possibly not the capacity to monitor regions as a whole or focus on one suburb at a time.

What is required from property owners by the council to use the property as short-term holiday rental differs for individual property based on location, zoning, and compliance. For this reason, the Sunshine Coast Council asks that owners that are considering using a property as a short-term rental contact the Development Department directly on (07) 5475 7526 to receive a more definitive answer, prior to setting a property up for Air BnB.

At Code Property Group, we have seen several short term let holiday rentals in the Buddina and Minyama area join the long-term permanent rental market following council advice that the properties are not suitable for this use based on the zoning and build date of the properties. These are well-maintained high-quality houses in areas that are seeing high rental demand from permanent tenants and therefore can achieve high rental yields.

Current Air BnB owners struggling with council permits, servicing guests, and maintaining the properties themselves are encouraged to call local property management experts. At Code Property Group we can discuss with you the current long-term rental market and what that means as a rental price for your property.

Hiring a property manager to ensure your investment is constantly an income-generator for property owners, to nurture the relationship with long-term tenants and keep up with the property maintenance and compliance means that property owners can take a backseat and trust their greatest asset is in the best hands.?