Airbnb Australia boss Susan Wheeldon refutes claims short stays driving region’s housing crisis

The head of Airbnb Australia has spoken out to hose down ongoing claims the short stay sector is the biggest factor in the housing crisis for tourism hotspots like the Capes region. Airbnb’s Australian boss Susan Wheeldon said although regulation was needed, restricting short stays would not solve the housing crisis. She pointed to a recent report from independent research group Urbis, which showed only a small amount of Australia’s housing stock was listed as short stays and that up to 30 per cent of hosts “primarily use the income generated to make ends meet”. “All of short-term rentals sit at around 1 per cent of overall stock in Australia,” Ms Wheeldon said. The comments come as local governments focus on recouping costs perceived to stem from tourism supported by the short-stay sector. The City of Busselton this year introduced a 15 per cent sting on short-stay ratepayers and the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River was in the early stages of a project to review rating categories and potentially harness more income from the sector. Ms Wheeldon also refuted charges Airbnbs led to spiralling rents as well as a lack of rental vacancies. Real Estate Institute of WA president and Dunsborough-based realtor Joe White was among those sceptical of the effects of short stays on the housing crisis. Mr White told the Times the crisis was worse than governments wanted to acknowledge because data often failed to capture people living with in-laws, shared housing and people couch surfing or living in cars. According to Mr White, significant State and Federal investment in large-scale social housing was the answer. “Looking for a scapegoat won’t build any more houses and will drive money away from the supply, and we can’t afford to let the debate descend to that level as that will really hurt the most vulnerable,” he said.