Fears southern town will be ‘overrun' with Airbnbs
Methven resident Paul Dixey is calling on the council to impose stricter regulations on holiday rentals. Photo: LDR / Jonathan Leask
A Methven resident fears an epidemic of Airbnb owners flouting the rules and over-running residential areas.
Paul Dixey is calling on the council to act before it gets out of hand in the Canterbury town.
Methven, just over an hour's drive from Christchurch, is popular with skiers and holiday makers.
Dixey said three of the 15 properties in his new subdivision are being listed for rental accommodation.
"The industry needs better regulation.
"If they don't act, I fear it will become epidemic and then how will they stop it?"
Dixey said it doesn't seem right that properties are paying residential rates to the council but are operating as a commercial property.
"It needs to be addressed when the hotels down the road are paying through the nose to be commercial accommodation operators."
Paul Dixey is concerned about built-for-purpose holiday lets popping up in the new Camrose Subdivision in Methven, a residential area under the district plan. Photo: LDR / Jonathan Leask
The growth of holiday rentals has sparked concerns across the country, with councils considering how to regulate the industry.
There are about 290 Airbnb rentals listed in Mid Canterbury.
Ashburton District Council compliance and development group manager Ian Hyde said the council is considering how to handle the increase and impact of the short-term rentals.
"Council staff are looking at all these issues currently and have been reviewing work done by other councils.
"There is a workshop planned with councillors this month on the wider subject of Airbnbs in our district."
Hyde said the district plan allows for visitor accommodation as a permitted activity for up to five guests.
"If a property was advertising for more than that, they would need to stop or get a resource consent to operate.
The council doesn't comment on specific enforcement complaints, but investigate where non-compliances are found.
"Sometimes people make an application once they realise that what they are doing requires consent.
"Council has the power to enforce the rules of the District Plan under the Resource Management Act, this can include fines, and where appropriate through the Courts. However, we prefer to work with people to address issues where we can."
Dixey said he felt the rules hadn't been enforced so far.
"We have no objection to them taking five [guests], but one has been advertising up to 12."
He said the majority of groups are fine but you can get "that one group that they have no control over".
The rental owners are not onsite so do not know how many people turn up and can mot monitor behaviour, he said.
One property owner has applied for a retrospective land use consent to carry out visitor accommodation for up to 11 people.
The consent document states the house would only be available for 90 nights a year.
Dixie said it could set a dangerous precedent that could result in residential areas being overrun by temporary accommodation, he said.
"What's to stop every house on the street applying for consent to be an Airbnb.
"You might as well turn the whole place into a commercial accommodation area as the zoning rules aren't worth the paper they are printed on."
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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