Perth Voice Interactive

A 10pm check-in curfew, clean home assurances and public liability insurance are likely be included in WA regulations aimed at curbing issues with new short-stay accommodation providers.

East Metro Liberal MLC Alyssa Hayden this week met with staffers at Perth, Stirling and Bayswater councils to talk about policing complaints.

The parliamentary secretary is compiling recommendations for regulations to be presented to WA tourism minister Kim Hames next month.

She says there’s a need for councils to enforce rules for stays shorter than three months, but warns against going overboard.

There’s no need to follow Peppermint Grove council in banning homeowners from using home-sharing sites such as Airbnb and Stayz, she says, and Bayswater should not worry about applying so many rules to a policy it’s considering.

“A check-in time at 10pm would prevent disruption to neighbouring residents,” Ms Hayden says. “Other things are providing clean, quality accommodation and sufficient parking.

“But I think the big one is making sure homeowners know that if they don’t have public liability insurance they could face losing everything. Someone might hurt themselves, or die, on their private property and they’ll be liable for that and may end up being sued.”

She also suggests strengthening by-laws for strata properties: if landlords state 25 per cent of units can be used for short-term stays, long-term tenants won’t be able to complain because they “know what they’re getting themselves into”.

Complaints to councils include security issues, with strangers getting access to supposedly secure complexes, and constant rowdy, “holiday-mode” behaviour from visitors.

Bayswater councillor Brent Fleeton, a Liberal Party member, says the free market should be left to work it all out with as little interference from government as possible: he has a similar view with passenger services like Uber.

“I support this Liberal state government allowing private property owners to rent out their property free from unfair intervention because the benefits far outweigh any costs,” he says. “The market has spoken, it wants Airbnb.”

Bayswater’s draft “short-term accommodation” policy is likely to be discussed next month.

It restricts guest numbers and allows staff to take action against troublesome tenants.

It also dictates property owners must supply a “management plan” outlining house rules, such as banning anti-social behaviour and evidence of a plan to deal with complaints.

by EMMIE DOWLING