Do you have permission to rent your residence short term?

I’ve been involved in fair Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) industry advocacy for almost a decade. In Western Australia, we’re at the pointy end of a long drawn out fight for the survival of a traditional, highly sought after, accommodation experience for travellers who want to stay in a residential property/ home away from home for a holiday, business, education, health and many other reasons.

As a child we used to mix up our holidays with nature based camping, park stays on the water in Dunsborough and short term holiday rentals. As a young adult my friends travelled in groups and Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) was our preference. When I had on operation in Noosa we found a STRA/holiday home because we had young children. The list goes. We know this residential style of short term accommodation is legitimate and yet here we remain fighting for long term sustainability because this sort of accommodation is very popular now and there are a small number of dodgy operators who don’t care about guest safety or neighbourhood amenity.

We have a patchwork of local regulations because the planning guidelines are outdated. There is no clear definition for STRA as a residential use. Regional and rural locations usually welcome them because they provide needed accommodation and bring visitors to boost their economy, metropolitan LGA’ s are influenced by large corporate lobbyists deeming STRA commercial because they consider STRA competition and want to level the playing field. They hone in on a very small number of neighbour complaints and paint the STRA industry as a nuisance destroying local communities. Unbelievable really.

Reading through the comments provided in the WA inquiry submissions I’m quite frankly - gob smacked! One comment alluded to a resident feeling like she’s living in a ghost town because most of the properties on her street are STRA. Really? Is this actually being considered as a reason to tell owners what they can and can’t do with their properties?

I love that half the properties on our street are vacant. The one across the road a few years ago had permanent residential tenants who had drug and domestic violence issues, with police called out numerous times, screaming down the street through the day and night. The resident actually turned up on my doorstep high as a kite one day. That was scary. Another time when we were renting while searching for a new home we found ourselves severely sleep deprived from a permanent resident next door (owners) dog barking whenever they weren’t home - which was often. I had two young toddlers and I have to say that was not a time I was able to peacefully enjoy my residence without noise disturbance.

We are offering home style accommodation, short term. Some Local Government’s will require you to complete a Development Application (DA) to seek planning permission to rent your residential property short term. Depending on the local planning policy STRA will be either be considered;

“‘P’ means that the use is permitted by the Scheme providing the use complies with the relevant development standards and the requirements of the Scheme;

‘D’ means that the use is not permitted unless the local government has exercised its discretion by granting planning approval as required by clause 4.8;

‘A’ means that the use is not permitted unless the local government has exercised its discretion by granting planning approval as required by clause 4.8 after giving notice in accordance with clause 9.4; and

‘X’ means a use that is not permitted by the Scheme.” (Cottesloe Town Planning Scheme 3).

To find out if you have permission to rent your residential property short term you will need to research your local government authority’s policy on STRA, search for the local planning scheme and the most closely fitting accommodation definition then locate the zoning table. In Cottesloe for example some residential precincts it’s not a permitted use or ‘X’. Other zones it’s ‘D’ or Discretionary meaning the administration will engage with neighbours and consider the Development Application and the local councillors will decide by majority vote if you are granted permission.

If you want to rent your residential property short term in Mandurah then you have permission to go ahead subject to registration. Yay! How great is that. The situation is similar for the Shire of Murray.

As a leisure management professional, with a background working in local government, experience as a STRA owner and manager, 3 + years on the Board of the national Australian Short Term Rental Accommodation industry association I am well positioned to provide consulting services to assist you in navigating regulation and seeking permission, assist you in becoming/ help finding a professional property manager. If you’re already an established agent/ contract property manager maybe I can help you grow your business.

Please complete the contact form below (in the footer) if you wish to connect. I’d be happy to jump on a telephone or teleconference call to introduce myself and determine what problems I can help you solve. There’s a bit about me below including a link to my Linked In profile.

If you’re a Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) stakeholder (owner, manager, supplier etc) I recommend reaching out to the national industry association Australian Short Term Accommodation (ASTRA). They are continually advocating for fair industry regulation across Australia.

If you’re in Western Australia, I have formed a WA stakeholder group on Facebook and warmly welcome you to send me a join request.

Happy days!