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Regulatory approaches to short-term rental accommodation: A multi-council regional Australian case
Book chapter

Regulatory approaches to short-term rental accommodation: A multi-council regional Australian case

Rodney W. Caldicott, Tania von der Heidt, Deborah Che and Sabine Muschter
Short-Term Rentals and Their Impact on Destinations, pp.71-104
IGI Global
2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6050-7.ch003

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Abstract

Governments struggle to regulate short-term rentals (STRs). Most regulatory responses focus on world cities with sparse attention on regions and community preference regulation. Guided by economic theory, this study examined the STR state of play across 13 adjoining regional Australian councils, hosting 600,000 residents and marketed as a premier non-metro tourism destination. Data collection from publicly available online STR listings was complemented with primary survey data from 2,451 self-nominating residents, including Airbnb Hosts, Approved Accommodation Providers, and ‘Other' residents. Six groups of councils emerged, categorized by Airbnb presence and penetration – those experiencing negligible Airbnb presence and those with invasive tourism. Residents indicated their regulatory preferences across nine intervention levels clustered into three central positions (self-regulation, semi-interventionist, and total government regulation). A generic model for regulatory approaches is recommended to guide governments in responding to their STR presence and resident sentiment.

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