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Landlords urged to rethink who’s really managing their Airbnb
As Airbnb and Stayz continue to attract investors, regulators have warned landlords to verify that professionals who manage their property hold the proper licence, ensuring they are not left exposed to compliance and legal risk.
Queensland Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has ordered an unlicensed Mount Tambourine property agent to pay almost $24,000 after she was paid to host a property on short-stay platforms Airbnb, Stayz and Booking.com.
According to the OFT, Renee Anissa McCormack breached Queensland’s Property Occupations Act 2014 by providing letting and rental services without holding a real estate licence, while receiving payment.
McCormack was found guilty of two charges in Brisbane’s Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay almost $24,000 in fines, repay letting fees and court costs.
OFT warned that anyone working on short-term letting platforms as a property manager without a licence, either letting properties or collecting rent on someone else’s behalf, would face prosecution.
Fair Trading commissioner Ben Griffin said the OFT would continue to take action where hosts or agents acted without the correct licence and skirted the consumer protections in place for property owners, such as criminal history checks and the requirement to use a trust account.
“Short-term letting platforms like Airbnb and Stayz are popular with Queenslanders, but it’s important to know anyone who manages a property on behalf of others must have a licence,” Griffin said.
“This isn’t just a technical breach of legislation; it also circumvents the consumer protections for property owners that come with engaging a licensed agent.”
Griffin said that while a property owner could list their own home on short-stay platforms, there were significantly different standards for those being paid to manage the home.
“Whether that person is negotiating the letting of the property for reward or collecting rent for others, they must be licensed under the Property Occupations Act 2014.”
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