Stayz gets on board the WA reform train

“Stayz supports the bill introduced by the Cook government in Western Australia to create a register requiring property owners to register their STRA,” said Eacham Curry, senior director of government and corporate affairs at Stayz.

Mr Curry described the register as “a positive, sensible step in the right direction and the best way to collect data that will, in turn, inform the development of better policy”.

The director pointed to existing registers in other Australian states as evidence that creating a registration of STRA properties can positively impact the short-term rental sector.

“A real-time, statewide registration database of properties, like those already in place across New South Wales and Tasmania, helps deliver verifiable data about the size and scope of the STRA sector,” said Mr Curry.

The NSW register was created in October 2021, following a three-month delay due to resistance from local councils and online rental companies.

Most controversial was the NSW’s decision to impose a 180-night cap on STRAs in Greater Sydney and regional hotspots, including Newcastle and Dubbo, which at the time Mr Curry described as “unproven” and “a blow to the tourist economy”.

When it came to the upcoming Western Australian regulations, Mr Curry agreed with Mitchell Price, chief executive officer of the Australian and New Zealand Short Term Rental Association (ATRSA), who shared that ASTRA “would have liked to see a Code of Conduct accompany the Cook government’s reforms”.

Mr Curry said: “The failure to develop a Code of Conduct complementary to the register is a missed opportunity. Codes help ensure that participants in the sector, including visitors, local communities and government authorities, are aligned on what the rules and expectations are.”

The director also advised that a statewide approach would create a stronger STRA economy in Western Australia than the local council framework currently in place.

“Leaving broader regulation to those local governments outside of the metropolitan area is a recipe for confusion and complexity, and will act as a deterrent to the economic benefits that STRA brings to regional communities,” Mr Curry said.

“For the register to be as effective as possible, we urge a uniform, statewide framework.”