Short term Leasing in SA

Good morning,

For those in South Australia that undertake short term rentals (Airbnb/Stayz) we now need to lodge a formal application with council to change the properties use, this is based on a new law that was passed in 2021.

Looks like some zones are not permitted while others are... I've been on the phone with the Adelaide Hills Council and thankfully my property is in a zone that permits short term rental use.

Just looking to see if anyone else has gone through this process? Total apllication costs, whether they were able to find a cheap online option for sourcing site plans etc.

I'd be surprised if every short term rental property in SA has acutally gone and sought approval but I'd hate to see what happens in an insurance claim if the insurer found out the property wasn't approved for short term stays, so not looking for any shortcuts just experiences to make the process easier.

Thanks

 

That law was called Short Term Holiday Rental Accommodation Bill 2021 and was not made law. That law called for properties to be registered rather than "approved". Some councils may now have their own position eg Barossa...https://www.barossa.sa.gov.au/development-business/short-term-accommodation

A insurer may expect a short stay policy rather than conventional landlord cover. eg EBM shortstay cover. Otherwise if there is no tenancy lease it may be outside scope of the policy.

 

No problem with finding an insurer for short term stays, Terri Scheer offer this as well.

I suspect most short term lease landlords in SA haven't bothered to go through the application formalities with their council, but from what I can find most councils do require it.

I wonder whether this would have any implications with your insurer if you don't actually have council approval?

It costs several hundred in application fees but probably worthwhile.

There's the insurance side but also If council ever did find out (disgruntled neighbour from loud tenants) then getting approval after the event could be difficult.