City of Busselton passes new Airbnb laws for holiday homes in the South West

The City of Busselton has approved some of country’s strictest Airbnb laws in its latest move to maintain holiday home regulation. On Wednesday night, the City unanimously passed a series of local laws which will see rules including a night-time curfew be imposed on guests in the popular holiday destination. Holiday goers with furry friends will also need to unsure their pets are never left unattended during the stay, as dogs particularly can “become distressed when left unattended, causing disturbance to neighbours”. It comes as part of the City’s second stage of changes to regulation, which will allow holiday homes throughout Busselton, Dunsborough, Yallingup and parts of Margaret River to be deregistered if they do not adhere to the new enforcements. One major change includes the need for property managers to be available to respond to any issues or public complaints within 12 hours of the matter being risen. City mayor Grant Henley said the new regulations were a welcome change in the community. “Holiday homes are a significant component of the tourism accommodation mix in the City of Busselton, that has been the case for many decades and is expected to continue to be the case,” he said. “The regulatory changes, however, are aimed at reducing some of the impacts holiday homes can have on the amenity of nearby residents... and were broadly supported by the community and other stakeholders.” The council deemed the half-day turnaround a “reasonable” time period to respond to issues causing disruption to neighbouring properties such as excessive noise. Previously given a 24-hour response time, council minutes stated the “rapid increase in the use of instantaneous communication such as smartphones and apps” allows for “easier communication between parties” therefore approving the 12-hour rule which, in part assists with the other newly imposed restrictions. “Requiring quicker response times to issues such as overflowing bins, barking dogs, and late-night parties is seen as a proportionate response to the benefit of obtaining a holiday home approval,” the document stated. The changes follow a finalised code of conduct in April, which saw a number of other rules implemented for holiday home guests to be put in place in September. Rules included the maximum number of vehicles allowed to be parked at a property, limiting the number of guests on site after 10pm, and strengthening rubbish removal conditions. It would be a requirement of all property owners to have this code of conduct on display in their premises.