A new draft planning policy, proposing changes to how short-term rental accommodation is managed, has been developed by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
In a statement, the Department said the Draft Position Statement: Planning for Tourism and Draft Planning for Tourism Guidelines gave direction to Local Governments on managing short-term rental accommodation within their local planning framework.
It said the draft policy provided updated definitions on the use of houses, units and apartments for short-term rental accommodation, and sought comment on whether providers of un-hosted and hosted accommodation should be exempt from requiring development approval in certain circumstances.
Minister for Planning, Rita Saffioti said the Position Statement included a definition for ‘hosted’ accommodation, which was exempt from development approval where the person who lived in the house or dwelling was present when guests were staying.
“One of the proposals out for consultation includes a ‘cap on nights’ for un-hosted accommodation, where dwellings rented out for a designated number of days per calendar year do not require development approval,” Ms Saffioti said.
“Any premises used for more than the designated amount of days will be considered used for holidays and will require development approval, unless the Local Government chooses to extend this exemption via a change to its local planning scheme,” she said.
The Minister said the draft policy was a response to the rapid increase of short-term rentals in Western Australia.
Ms Saffioti said that, in support of the changes, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries was investigating the implementation of a new Statewide registration system.
“Under the proposed registration system, providers of short-term rental accommodation within Western Australia would be required to register their property in order to operate and advertise, including on online booking platforms,” she said.
“Owners will receive a unique registration number, which will need to be advertised alongside the short-term rental,” Ms Saffioti said.
The draft policy is open for public comment until 7 March 2022.
The nine-page Draft Position Statement can be accessed at this PS News link, the 17-page Draft Guidelines at this link and the online survey to have your say at this link.
