Overview
Booked a stay in someone else's home throughout New South Wales? Hosted a traveller in your spare room? Opened your whole Sydney house or apartment to a paying stranger? If you've done any of the above via Airbnb or a similar online sharing platform, then you've been skirting the law; however a new report looks set to change that.
Due to be tabled in NSW parliament on October 19, the report follows an 18-month inquiry into the short-term rental market, which was sparked by the growing number of dwellings listed on services such as Airbnb. It recommends letting home owners rent out their rooms and homes, but also suggests that people who list their main place of residence and those who try to lease out an investment property should abide by different rules.
To put it simply, if you fall into the former category, you won't have to seek council permission. If you're in the latter camp, you'll have to get the official go-head and abide by a code of conduct. The report further proposes differentiating between commercial businesses renting out places and everyday folks with an empty property, as well as enacting provisions to deal with houses that are frequently used for parties.
If the new rules are implemented, they'll have the support of the City of Sydney, who made a submission in favour of Airbnb-like accommodation services to the inquiry. And, they'll continue the state's tick of approval to sharing services in general, after Uber became legal in NSW in late 2015. Yep, soon, you might be able to both stay in someone else's digs and ride their in a stranger's car — and pay for both, of course — with a clear conscience.