From ABC South West WA / By Dominique Bayens and Sam Bold
The number of short-term holiday rentals in Western Australia's biggest food and wine region has grown by almost 20 per cent in the past year amid an ongoing rental crisis that has seen locals forced into homelessness.
The number of short-stay properties, such as Airbnbs or Stays, within the City of Busselton sits at just over 1,000 while long-term rental vacancies continue to remain below 1 per cent.
The chief executive officer of Accord West, Evan Nunn, said the new figures were no surprise, given the rise in interest rates and cost of living.
"The cost of paying for rental properties and interest is increasing; also the number of people who are retiring," he said.........
.......Changes to local laws have seen night curfews imposed on guests and dogs to never be left unattended, giving the city power to deregister holiday homes not adhering to the new code of conduct.
It is an issue tourist towns around the country have grappled with, with the Byron Bay council in New South Wales pushing ahead with plans for a 60-day annual cap of short-term holiday letting to address its housing crisis.
Read the full article at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-19/holiday-homes-busselton-increase-by-20pc-during-housing-crisis/102495668
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