Residents may breach lease renting out homes - The Canberra Times

. Photo: Lael Taylor

CANBERRA residents who rent out their homes to tourists on accommodation websites may be breaching the conditions of their Crown lease, the ACT government has warned.

This week nearly 100 homes and rooms in the territory and Queanbeyan were advertised for short term lease to tourists - some as cheap as $32 a night - on the popular accommodation website Airbnb.

The site allows property owners to advertise rooms or entire houses to visitors but it could be risky for homeowners who end up running a quasi-hotel or backpackers.

Tourists who make use of the advertised accommodation are invited to leave comments on the website and rate their stay based on cleanliness, location and value.

A spokesman for the ACT Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate said local home owners who rented out a room, house or apartment to tourists from time to time were generally on safe legal ground.

But if property owners rented a room or home out often they could be breaching their Crown lease conditions or building laws.

"If you're moving towards where it's more businesslike in its nature, then that's the point in time it may come to our attention," the spokesman said.

"It really is highly subjective in its nature,'' he said.

"The question really becomes about the safety of the building and whether it's being used for the purposes it was intended."

People who breach their Crown leases could in rare circumstances have their leases terminated.

This week, one inner-north resident with seven positive reviews from previous guests was offering a private room in her home on the Airbnb website for $32 a night.

Even with the additional $4 Airbnb service fee, the room rate undercut local hotels in price and was the same advertised price as a bed in a dorm shared with three other people at a centrally located backpacker's hostel.

The Minister for Tourism and Events, Andrew Barr, said the number of rooms available in private homes was small compared to the volume of hotel rooms in Canberra, but they did compete with established businesses. Hotel, motel and guest house operators had to comply with insurance, access requirements, public liability and fire safety regulations, which Airbnb operators did not.

"Service providers that do not provide a quality product and experience through this unregulated environment stand to affect the reputation of the destination," he said.

Mr Barr said Airbnb rooms could help Canberra's accommodation shortages during parliamentary sitting periods and during major events such as Floriade or popular sporting matches.