From 2019 to 2023, the variety of hosted houses on Airbnb fell by 32 per cent, from 73,000 to 50,000, whereas non-hosted properties rose by 15 per cent from 60,000 to 69,000, the report discovered.
Nowhere is that this pattern extra pronounced than in coastal Victoria.
The variety of non-hosted properties on the Mornington Peninsula surged by 28 per cent, from about 2500 in 2019 to 3300 in 2023, making the vacationer area the nation’s Airbnb heartland.
Bass Coast Shire, which incorporates short-stay hotspot Phillip Island, skilled a 30 per cent surge in the identical four-year interval, whereas listings in central Melbourne fell considerably, from 2600 in 2019 to lower than 2000 in 2023.
Lang stated the decline in Airbnb listings within the City of Melbourne was a part of a nationwide pattern, with Sydney and Brisbane additionally dropping off, whereas the variety of non-hosted listings rose sharply in vacation areas such because the Whitsundays, Noosa and the Barossa Valley.
While these locations have all had short-stay rental lodging for a very long time, Lang stated, Airbnb’s emergence as a dominant platform available on the market had coincided with a worsening housing scarcity.
The variety of non-hosted properties within the Bass Coast Shire, together with the city of Inverloch, jumoed by 30 per cent from 2019 to 2023.Credit: Eddie Jim
“For a few of these cities, housing has simply turn out to be extremely unaffordable and unavailable,” she stated. “Tourists may be nice for your small business, however a few of these areas are hitting densities the place it’s tough to get employees as a result of it’s so tough to seek out housing.”
Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Anthony Marsh stated Airbnb had modified the vacation rental panorama within the space, as comparatively humble seaside homes had been being rented out by house owners “making an absolute killing”.
“We get 8 million guests a yr … so there may be, to some extent, a reliance on these vacation leases. But Airbnb have modified it from the little shack that folks would possibly hire out in Blairgowrie over a few weeks to what’s very a lot this business enterprise mannequin now.”
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Marsh stated many properties may probably function reasonably priced long-term rental lodging, however house owners had calculated that renting them out for brief stays was extra worthwhile.
“Thinking of say, Rye, I’m certain in case you soar on Airbnb and take a look at a few of the homes, they’re most likely fairly regular seaside homes which might be making an absolute killing through the week. But in the event that they’re on the rental market, that may be most likely thought of reasonably priced, and I believe that’s the place it’s doing the largest harm,” he stated.
The Victorian authorities launched a 7.5 per cent levy on short-stay lodging bookings on January 1, arguing it could make extra properties out there for long-term leases.
The levy is anticipated to generate $75 million in income in its first full yr, in accordance with the Parliamentary Budget Office, with all of that income to go to Homes Victoria, and 25 per cent directed to regional areas.
Airbnb declined to remark when contacted by The Age. According to Airbnb knowledge, the overwhelming majority of hosts – 85 per cent – listing only one property on the platform.
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