Tenants' Union: 'Airbnbs take up Launceston's long-term rental supply'

Benedict Bartl, principal solicitor with the Tenants' Union of Tasmania, has echoed those claims and said there is genuine concern that short-stay accommodation across Tasmania will continue to grow at the expense of residential rental properties.

"Making more rentals available by pausing the issuing of permits to entire property short-stay accommodation will increase supply and put downward pressure on rents," Mr Bartl said.

A 2024 Homes Tasmania report shows that a lack of supply has driven up rents, with the state government noting that the vacancy rate is 1.1 per cent in Launceston.

According to the state government's Tasmanian housing strategy, a healthy vacancy rate is three per cent.

Homes Tasmania believe that a sustainable vacancy rate of around three per cent in the private rental market will help stabilise rents and reduce pressure on household budgets.

A 2024 Suburb Trends report demonstrated that this year, 550 ex-rental homes went up for sale across Tasmania between January and February, adding up to nearly 20 per cent (19.16 per cent) of total listings.

A Consumer Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) 2023 report found that one reason for the lack of supply is that investors are buying long-term rental accommodation and turning it into short-stay accommodation, particularly in Tasmania's two largest cities, Hobart and Launceston.

The CBOS 2023 report found that 330 entire properties in inner-city Launceston are being used as short-stay accommodation.

CBOS states that in 2022, there were 221 short-stay properties in Launceston.

Entire-property Airbnbs have increased by almost 50 per cent (49 per cent) in Launceston over the last two years.

A 2022 Shelter Tasmania report found that three-quarters of all Airbnb properties in inner-city Launceston used to be in the long-term rental market.

At the recent state election, the Liberal Party acknowledged that Airbnb was having a direct impact on the rental market.

Housing Minister Nic Street said, "There is no doubt that the increasing number of houses on the short-stay market has reduced the availability of long-stay rentals and contributed to higher rents."

The Liberal Party announced a policy to introduce a 5 per cent levy on short-stay accommodation, which will be used to remove stamp duty for first-home buyers.

The Liberal Party said it promised to provide a one-year land tax exemption if property owners with an Airbnb made the property available to long-term renters.

The Labor Party and the Tasmanian Greens announced that they would prohibit issuing new short-stay accommodation permits.

Airbnb Australia's Senior Corporate and Policy Communications Manager, Ian Paterson, told The Examiner, "Airbnb is just one company in the short-term rental sector; we are not the sector itself."