Regional homeowners could be disadvantaged when new government legislation for accommodation sharing comes in next month, Stayz corporate affairs director Jordan Condo says.
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The new reforms mean having visitor accommodation in a home with up to four bedrooms will no longer require planning or building permits.
Mr Condo said it was the changes to investment properties and homes with more than four bookable rooms that could deter people from offering short-term rentals, reducing tourist accommodation.
However, State Government Planning and Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein rejected the claims, saying the reforms cut red-tape and streamlined the process.
Mr Condo said the changes meant homeowners would be required to get approval, apply to the council, pay for building and planning fees which could be costly.
Regional homeowners were disadvantaged because they were more likely to have a secondary or investment home than city homeowners, he said.
“Regional jobs, regional income and regional economic growth will suffer if regulations limit the availability of short-term rentals in Tasmania’s regions.
“The industry has too much regulation and too much administration costs.”
Liffey Mountain Retreat owner Sandy Howell said the legislation did not create a level-playing field as it increased the costs for many regional homeowners, who had investment properties.
The “blanket rules” did not accommodate for the diverse circumstances people found themselves in and it appeared to consider investment property owners as “loaded”, Mrs Howell said.
State Government Planning and Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein said any claims that regional property owners would be disadvantaged were “totally wrong”.
“If you want to let your own home regardless of where it is in the state the same rules will apply,” Mr Gutwein said.
The new legislation was about “reducing red tape, boosting Tasmanian tourism and allowing Tasmanians to earn additional income from letting their home or shack or investment property”.
The reforms eliminated the current need for a planning permit for houses with up to four bedrooms “irrespective of where you live”.
Other properties would either have a new one step permit application, including a self assessment and a capped fee of $250, he said.
“Any current legally existing operators in any part of Tasmania are completely unaffected and may in fact be advantaged under our reforms.”