THE CLIENTS IN THE PLACE NEXT DOOR ARE DOING WHAT?!

A self-administered Short-Term Rental ‘Code of Conduct’ has been in force in NSW since 2012. And now a new ‘Code’ is being cobbled together by those with a direct pecuniary interest in extracting as much money as possible from housing. As reported earlier, Resident Groups are excluded from NSW Fair Trading’s working group. Industry bods claim that Residents have no credibility so their concerns and rights should be completely dismissed. And most disturbing of all is that this ‘Code’ seeks to green light a well documented “prohibited use” of residential housing under the Planning Act.

The Building Codes of Australia clearly differentiates between single-family residential dwellings and property suitable for commercial tourist/visitor accommodation. And the issue of fire safety is paramount. Let’s not forget the young lives lost at Childers, while NSW Fire & Rescue continues to work on this issue in line with Coronial findings – see tonight’s news report. Concurrently, Short-Term Rental Industry representatives seek to bury all case law and critical criteria.

Australian Short-Term Rental Accommodation Association Board Member Joan Bird wrote today to Airbnb landlords:

“For NSW hosts, a recent meeting with Dept of Fair trading (ASTRA directors) revealed that we are still in a holding pattern with the proposed Code of Conduct (CoC) for our industry. It is only this week that ministerial offices finally come together and parliament reopens next week. We have been promised an additional meeting with the new ministers office in the coming weeks to update and brief him on our industry. Updates to come as we have them. The CoC is still confidential. As soon as we know, promise you’ll know. The CoC is enshrined in the recent changes to the Fair Trading Act. Promise you do not need to panic!”

Our original article told of an orgy at an Airbnb rental. Airbnb operator Jay Novak was named in our article. Jan Novak operates the Airbnb property where the orgy is reported to have taken place. Neighbours Not Strangers apologises unreseverdly to Jay Novak.

“Today I found out my house was used to host a(n)…orgy. I won’t post photos because they’re so gross… I’m still thinking about whether to write a review or not, because the guest lives in my city and I don’t want to escalate the matter and potentially cause further unrest and…further reprisals from a sociopath who’s already lied to me and disrespected my property…”

The Facebook responses from other Airbnb ‘pros’ include reports of drugs everywhere, swinger parties, animals flushed down toilets, deliberate flooding, gas fires ablaze with air-conditioners running, fixtures ripped from walls, and much more. Destruction and blood and all kept absolutely ‘hush hush’. And zero concern for or mention of neighbours. If one doesn’t want to wreck one’s Airbnb ‘superhost’ status, one never complains, nor does one trigger a ‘Code of Conduct’.

It is absolutely in the financial interest of Short-Term Rental Agents that this replacement ‘Code of Conduct’ is another toothless beast.

Academics at Sydney University are working diligently to report on Sydney’s hidden housing problem, and how affordability pressures are putting people at risk. And consider: “For the 194 homes currently available for long-term rental across Ballina, Byron and Tweed Heads, there are 4,660 homes listed on Airbnb. Residents believe this is why they can no longer afford to live here anymore.” (Northern Star.) Marriott Hotels wants their slice of our housing too.