In a move that’s hard to argue against when you’ve lived next door to an Airbnb being used as a party house, the NSW government is cracking down on Airbnb and similar rentals with reforms like a 180-day cap on the number of days people can rent empty apartments out.
They will even give strata corporations – the people who run the buildings – the power to ban Airbnb in their buildings if they vote on it, although it’s not an outright ban. Owners and tenants will still be able to rent out rooms within their home or on short-term letting sites if they so choose.
You’ve gotta afford that Sydney rent somehow!
The way it works is it only takes two strikes for either hosts or guests to be implicated, and potentially banned from using Airbnb or similar platforms.
And if you’re wondering “where’s Airbnb in all of this, I’m worried they’ve been kidnapped by the government”, then fear not, because Airbnb is extremely on board, if you will, according to Domain.
They see it as a progressive approach, which is exactly what you might say if you’ve been kidnapped.
The government has struggled to make this happen, attempting to strike a balance between not harming the economy and protecting people’s property, although they also admit these might be some of the toughest rules “in the world”.
And hey, it wouldn’t be the first time government has gone to extreme lengths to limit our freedoms in Sydney.
Which brings me to my next point.
Houses wouldn’t need to be a last resort party venue if we had actual, viable party venues in Sydney. When looking for a venue for my 30th birthday party I witnessed first hand the hellfire that is trying to navigate Sydney’s event scene. The end result is simply not wanting to go out or do anything ever, and that surely can’t be good for our social lives / mental health.
So this is what hell looks like.
Not to mention the obvious issue around Sydney’s lockout laws which continue to impact Sydney’s nightlife. How much longer will we have to endure smug Melbourners visiting us and raising their eyebrow and one monocle at our 1.30am lockout and 3am last drinks? The knowing look they give each other as we bid farewell after a tame 9pm to go home because what else can you do?
Melbourne, is that you?
So while I think these new measures will do a lot of good for out of control party houses and I feel for residents who have had to deal with them, I also question where we expect our international guests and young people to settle in for a nice evening of responsible drinking, exactly?
The whole point of going on international exchange is having no money and shacking up with way too many people and sharing cultures among other things. Sure, there are many nightmare Airbnb stories to go around that have nothing to do with this, but it goes some way in explaining why there are problems with this to begin with.
And sure, some of our savvier international guests know they can always ask Clover Moore for support and they’ll get it.
https://twitter.com/aminatou/status/992518696714186752
But until we pay attention to what young people want from their city, we’re going to have more and more problems like this creeping up. Isn’t it time we did something about it that isn’t just restricting more things? What if Airbnb were to create a party hosting service, or verify which rentals are party-friendly? Is there a way to replicate the house party experience in venues? I’m just throwing ideas at the wall to see if any stick.
Isn’t there a better way? Sydney, don’t we deserve better?