Therese Cooper has two properties, one at Callala Beach and one at Culburra Beach, listed on short-term rental accommodation site HomeAway (formerly known as Stayz). But with new plans to change the industry, she’s unsure she will be able to continue as simply as she has done over the past three years. 

Under the NSW Government’s short-term holiday letting plan, hosts based in the greater Sydney area will only be allowed to rent out their homes for up to 180 nights a year.

There will be no automatic cap in regional areas, but councils can choose to impose their own limits.

Ms Cooper said while she only rents her home for an average of 120 nights per year, regional areas should not be restricted. 

“There are no hotels around the Shoalhaven,” she said. “Australians love renting out a beach house, having their own kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, they don’t want to stuck in one room. That’s the way it’s been for the past 50 years.” 

According to Ms Cooper, a large proportion of Callala Beach homes are holiday rentals. 

“The Shoalhaven is a holiday destination, if these homes weren’t available there’d be less people coming to visit and the local economy would suffer,” she said. 

“I employ a local cleaner and the people that come to visit use all the shops and restaurants. If people were to stop coming I think most businesses would go broke.” 

HomeAway director of corporate affairs Eacham Curry said the company wanted to partner with Shoalhaven City Council to ensure the region’s short-term rentals “remain an integral part of the tourism accommodation mix for the area”.

“To that end, we will be making the case to councillors that they grasp the sector’s opportunity and refrain from restrictive regulations or night limits,” he said. 

“Restrictions on the availability of short-term rental accommodation will unnecessarily diminish the benefit derived from the tourism sector, drive up the cost of the family holiday, and send valuable tourism dollars to other parts of the state.”

A mandatory code of conduct will also be developed for online accommodation platforms, to address issues like noise levels and disruptive guests.

Guests and hosts who commit two serious breaches of the code of conduct within two years will be banned from all short-term holiday platforms for five years.

“That is just terrible,” Ms Cooper said. “It’s very subjective, if you have vindictive neighbours who don’t want the home used for short-term rentals they could complain about anything.”

Ms Cooper said the code of conduct was “not fair” and needed to be further considered.

“People should be able to have fun on a Friday night,” she said. “If you get two bad tenants in a row you could be stopped from hosting again for five years, it’s too restrictive.”

Ms Cooper said if she were to ever receive a ban, she’d have to consider selling her properties. 

“With council rates and land taxes it’s very expensive,” she said. “This measure could send some homeowners to the wall.”