NSW delays extension of short term accomodation rules into the regions

The extension of updated NSW’s short-term letting rules has been delayed. The rules were proposed by Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes to start from July. They involved the extension of the 180-nights-a-year cap for unattended holiday lettings from within the greater Sydney area into regional and holiday hotspots. The 180-day cap dated back to 2018, when the NSW government announced it would cap the use of Airbnb/Stayz-style lettings to control rental affordability and to give respite to neighbours from party homes. The rule has applied only applied to greater Sydney, with regional councils initially set to impose their own caps. The extension proposed in locations such as Newcastle, Bega, Dubbo and Ballina would see absentee landlords be allowed to rent out their homes for only up to 180 nights a year. The Byron Shire would face the restriction from 31 January 2022. The rules will allow people living in an apartment or house to rent out a part of their home for 365 days a year. After suggesting the new rules were “simple”, Stokes has announced that “in the interest of conciliation, and to give the policy the best chance to succeed, we’re happy to extend the date for implementation to November 1.” Stayz corporate affairs director Eacham Curry noted the NSW tourism industry was only starting to bounce back after a months dominated by COVID-19 and bushfires. “The expansion of night caps to further regions is a blow to the tourist economy, and the NSW government should rethink their approach in the face of an uncertain outlook for tourism,” Curry said. But Stokes said the industry should have been prepared for the implementation of the new rules. “I maintain that the introduction of the policy should not come as a surprise, as we have been working with industry and councils on short-term rental accommodation since 2017.”