Brisbane City Council has dumped a proposed permit scheme for short-term accommodation providers.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the decision had been made against a backdrop of uncertainty in Australia’s housing market.
He said additional red tape was “not appropriate right now”.
“Put simply, a lot has changed in recent times and we don’t believe now is the right time to be adding additional regulation,” Cr Schrinner said.
“The rapid growth of platform-based short stay accommodation experienced in earlier years has slowed and the management of homes has improved dramatically since we began this conversation in 2023.”
The Council established a Short Stay Accommodation Taskforce in 2023 to examine concerns about security, overcrowding and anti-social behaviour in short-term accommodation, as provided through platforms like Airbnb.
The Taskforce recommend a permit scheme in its 2024 report.
“Feedback received during consultation on our permit scheme revealed some short-term rentals serve broader needs beyond tourism, such as housing domestic violence survivors, insurance claimants and hospital patients,” Cr Schrinner said.
“We will continue working with platforms to crack-down on hosts whose guests repeatedly cause problems, while enforcing all existing local laws.”
Cr Shrinner said Brisbane had a population of more than 1.3 million people and only around 100 complaints a year about short-stay rentals.
The Short Stay Accommodation Taskforce found less than one percent of Brisbane homes were used for short-term accommodation and the sector supported the city’s hotel supply during peak visitor periods, such as major events.
Airbnb growth is slowing globally, including in core markets such as Australia.
