(26/9/2019) Fremantle welcomes Airbnb report recommendations
Explore Councils by state
The City of Fremantle has welcomed the recommendations from a Parliamentary inquiry into short-term rental accommodation in WA.
The Economics and Industry Standing Committee released the report from its Inquiry into the Regulation of Short-Stay Accommodation in Western Australia today.
The committee found that all short-term accommodation providers should be registered and recommended the state government establish a state-wide registration scheme.
Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said the recommendations of the committee echoed the system the City of Fremantle already has in place to manage short-stay accommodation.
“The evidence the City of Fremantle gave to inquiry was advocating for a ‘light touch’ registration system along the lines of our existing local law,” Mayor Pettitt said.
“We’ve maintained a register of short-stay providers since 2009 so we know how many of them are out there and the details of the property owner should we ever need to contact them.
“We also have some basic conditions such as a minimum two night stay, and that a nominated property manager must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with their contact details physically on the property where the public can see them.
“Last year we also introduced a differential rate for people using their property for short-stay accommodation, which means AirBnB providers pay a little bit more than the normal residential rate, but not as much as the commercial rate hotels pay.
“This was to slightly level the playing field for accommodation providers, and also acknowledge that if people are using a residential property for a commercial purpose it’s fair they should pay a little more.”
The City of Fremantle has around 300 properties on its short-stay accommodation register.
The Parliamentary inquiry found that any property registration system for short-term rentals needs to be simple, low cost and user-friendly.
It also found the imposition of additional registration fees or compliance costs should be at the discretion of the local government authority.