Tuesday, 27 May 2025

Rental reform

Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:39): Renters are being evicted so landlords can turn their homes into Airbnbs. Entire buildings are being listed as short-stay accommodation – buildings that were once affordable and housed young people, now $900 a week on Airbnb. This is happening far more often than people would care to admit. Landlords may treat housing as their investments, but people as a result of this are losing their homes. People are being kicked out and told that the owner or a relative is moving back in, only to then find the house has been listed on Airbnb, with renters left scrambling to find somewhere else during a housing crisis, spending hundreds if not thousands to move in a cost-of-living crisis. Renters feel there is no justice and that not enough is being done to protect them. Renters cannot rely on the investors to provide housing because they will evict them in favour of Airbnb. Government has a responsibility to address this and has not yet done enough. We need stronger action on rentals being made into Airbnbs.