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Category: Information and Communication / Economic Trends

Sydney pushes to soften rules for Airbnb, Stayz house-sharing sites

Thursday, 18 Feb 2016 11:11:38 | Michelle Brown

Current rules prevent tourist and visitor accommodation in residential zones. (Andrea Castelli/Flickr.com/CC BY 2.0)

The City of Sydney is moving to embrace the growing home-sharing, accommodation market by pushing for changes to the rules around house-sharing websites such as Airbnb and Stayz.

It has made a submission to a NSW parliamentary inquiry which, if implemented, would enable more people to rent out their rooms for short stays.

It is proposing exemptions that it says will balance the desire of property owners to sign on with providers like Airbnb and Stayz, with a wish to maintain the safety and amenity of neighbourhoods.

Currently the rules prevent tourist and visitor accommodation in residential zones.

Residential and tourism accommodation in the same building must also be on separate floors and have separate lifts.

The council wants to classify a property exempt if the number of guests, and the number of days a year they stay, is limited.

There are currently around 3,000 properties listed for such stays in Sydney.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said it was time the legislation got an update.

"Tech companies are providing increasingly efficient means for offering homes and spare rooms for short-term holiday letting but our laws have not kept pace," she said.

"With the right rules, short-term holiday letting can support local communities and economies, while protecting amenity and the residential character of our villages," Councillor Moore said.

The council has suggested the proposed rules should form part of a state-wide approach.

A paper released by the NSW Government in January found the "sharing economy" was worth $504 million to NSW.

AustraliaPlus


 

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