Changes to unhosted holiday letting in Byron Shire

Published on 25 September 2024

In what is a first for NSW, Byron Shire Council’s new cap on unhosted short term rental accommodation (STRA) of 60 days a year came into effect this week (23 September 2024).

Apart from some areas in Byron Bay and much of Brunswick Heads, people are now only able to rent their unhosted properties for holiday accommodation for two months a year.

“Getting this 60-day cap approved by the NSW Government took many years of work and is recognition of the difficulty many people, including key workers, face in finding stable, long-term accommodation in the Shire,” Shannon Burt, Director Sustainable Environment and Economy, said.

Council staff will now spend the next several months focussing on consolidating data on unhosted properties including those registered on the NSW Government Short Term Rental Accommodation Register, as well as public and private listings on on-line booking platforms.

“While we have already done a lot of background work in preparation for this,  as the starting date for the changes was earlier this week (Monday 23 September), we need to review and refresh the work we have done,” Ms Burt said.

“Once we are confident our data is robust, we will begin looking closely for property owners who are breaching the new regulations.

“Residents also have a role to play, and we are asking them to get in touch with us if they think their neighbours are breaching the new rules.

“This is new territory for us and there is no rule book to follow so we will be reviewing and refining our approaches as we go,” Ms Burt said.

Information about STRA is on Council’s website. You can also view the online public mapping tool.