Other features announced by Airbnb on Tuesday include changes to reduce host cancellations, including firmer consequences for cancellations that could have been avoided, and “verified listings”, including new photo and video verifications to ensure a home matches its description.
Loading
Airbnb is also deploying a new tool dubbed City Portal that it says will help local governments access data on short-term rentals in their area.
The US-based company has been wrestling with Australian state governments over levies on short-stays in recent months, including in Victoria, which last year announced a 7.5 per cent levy as part of plans to address its housing crisis.
The NSW government is considering following Victoria’s lead and introducing a levy.
Airbnb has argued that some regulatory policies, including short-term stay levies, have not been backed up by data.
This masthead revealed last month that almost 50,000 entire dwellings are listed as short-stay rentals in Victoria rather than being available to long-term renters – making up 1.6 per cent of the state’s housing stock. The figures were detailed in a peer-reviewed report by consulting firm Urbis, which found a “weak positive correlation” between the number of dwellings listed on Airbnb and areas where rental prices were being hiked or took up a high portion of people’s income.
A NSW discussion paper released last month found that in January, there were about 52,300 homes registered for short-term rental accommodation across the state, while at the same time the cost of private rentals across the NSW has soared and vacancy rates remain near historic low levels.
“I’m incredibly passionate about data-led decision-making, and quite often decisions that have been made in the short-term rental regulation space aren’t necessarily based on data,” Wheeldon said.
“We support levies of between 3 to 5 per cent, and what they’ve done in Victoria is something that we do support, which is then using that money to pay for social and affordable housing. That is something that we absolutely support, and probably want that standing alongside statewide registration and codes of conduct.”
Loading
Wheeldon said Airbnb was a key economic driver in areas with significant tourism and seasonal economies.
“The portal allows those local governments to actually have the data about what’s going on in their regions, so who’s staying, how long they’re staying for, where they’re spending,” she said.
“We know that people do quite often over-inflate the impact of short-term rentals because of the confusion between a primary place of residence or an investment property, and so this allows those local governments to have that data, particularly where we don’t have statewide regulations in place today.”
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.