Advocates of more affordable housing in Byron Shire should take a leaf from Ireland’s decision to set stronger controls (Airbnb caught off guard by introduction of short-term letting restrictions, correspondence shows – Irish Times (2 January).
Ireland’s minister for housing plans to strengthen regulatory controls on the short-term letting of non-principal private residences in rent-pressure zones amid concerns, similar to here, that short-term lets have reduced the availability of long-term rentals.
According to the rental website daft.ie there are 342 properties for rent in Dublin while Airbnb had 376 ‘whole houses’ properties available for a month in the same area.
Legislators should respect the fundamental right to housing and the fact that others have undertaken all due diligence when purchasing property under residential title. Retrospectively altering residential environments into ‘mixed use’ without financial compensation is akin to contempt for our proprietary rights.
Major cities worldwide have banned AirBnb to prevent clogging up their residential zoning.
Byron Bay’s short term 9 month ‘cheap’ housing opportunity for long stay travellers is the only thing supported with 90 day AirBnb stays.
The trauma of dropping property investment incomes should not be on the higher sensitive list than pushing a local population into lower housing.
A loving touch understanding of property owner rights and a disregard for urban planning is renamed as a ‘sharing economy’.
Some may argue that it is a no brainer entitlement to dispose of the permanent renter model with a higher profit margin, but it sacrifices tenancy rights and drops the support of a town population.