Moved by Councillor Thompson, seconded by
Councillor Ellsmore –
It is resolved that –
(A) Council note:
(i)
Sydney
is in a rental crisis with a vacancy rate of 1.7%. This low rate means more
homes need to be added to the long-term rental market urgently
(ii)
current
reports indicate that at least 6,000 homes in our Local Government Area (LGA)
are being used as short-term rentals, hosted mainly on platforms like Airbnb,
and that this number is growing exponentially every year
(iii)
increasingly
investors are acquiring large portfolios of homes and turning them into
mini-hotels, with reporting from community groups noting some landlords renting
out well in excess of 100 properties locally as short-term rentals
(iv)
historically
significant residential city-fringe suburbs like Millers Point, Darlinghurst,
Potts Point and Ultimo have been particularly impacted by the proliferation of
Airbnbs and other short-term rentals, with a hollowing out of these communities
already well underway
(v)
researchers
have found, in Australia and elsewhere, that the increasing professionalisation
of the short-term rental sector exacerbates tight rental markets and exerts
upwards pressure on local rents
(vi)
beyond these
housing pressures, short term rentals and Airbnbs are having a harmful effect
on our community with hollowed out suburbs, increased strata fees and
destruction of common property in apartment buildings and speeding up the
gentrification of suburbs that historically were affordable, all in the name of
treating properties as investment vehicles rather than homes for people and
families
(vii) overwhelmingly Australia’s short term rental
regulations are out of step worldwide with other jurisdictions which are moving
in the direction of having a strong registry, permit systems, clear platform
accountability, and caps, alongside funding for enforcement measures
(B) the Chief Executive Officer be requested to organise a Councillor workshop this year on short-term rental accommodation to help Council establish an agreed policy and advocacy position. The workshop should:
(i)
clarify Council’s advocacy to date
(ii)
collate previous advice to Council, including approaches
in other jurisdictions, and their potential applications in the City of Sydney
(iii) provide
Council with any other relevant information or advice to inform their decision
about next steps including further advocacy to the NSW Government, booking
platforms and operators
(iv) provide
an opportunity for Councillors to debate the information received and agree to
next steps.
The varied motion was carried unanimously.
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