AIRBNB'S NEXT BIG THRUST: 15% OF THEIR CLIENTS ONLY WANT A 'NOONER'

Remember the State Government’s eviction of Public Housing Tenants and the 'Save Millers Point' rallies? The last of the Residents has gone and this week a further 11 Millers Point homes have been “on-boarded” to the Airbnb platform by HomeHost Management Group.

Meanwhile many short-term rental landlords are uneasy about the repeated emails from Airbnb’s HQ in San Francisco (see photo) asking that Minimum Night Settings be updated as “15% of clients in (their) area are booking trips of 1 night or less”. Landlords are warned their current settings prevent these travellers “from seeing and booking (their) listings”.

These commercial landlords are concerned that if they don’t comply with Airbnb’s ‘flexible minimum night requirement’ plus frequent calls to lower their prices they might lose their status as Airbnb ‘Superhosts’ and their properties will drop way down the list of the thousands of homes advertised, resulting in bookings drying up. They are also very concerned about the amount of washing and room servicing these ‘brief encounters’ will create.

Central Coast operator Debbie Kobeleff writes on Social Media: “Airbnb is the disease not the cure. Airbnb started the rot.” Mrs Kobeleff: “just did a 7 day booking for January 19:- fees:- over $1,100.00 how can this be justified ???? On top of that Expedia is holding approx. $20,000.00 of my deposits, my cash flow has been killed…while Expedia (HomeAway) profiteers (sic) at my expense!” $20,000.00 of her deposits hey.

While Airbnb always signs off its emails with ‘heart symbols’, seems the love is far from reciprocated.

NSW Ministers Matthew Kean and Anthony Roberts have consistently called for residential zoning to be set aside and Airbnb-type rentals deemed ‘complying development’. That way, all homes may be accessed by the NSW Government’s Destination NSW plus Online Travel Agencies for “tourist and event promotions, growth in key visitor markets and maximising the economic impact of visitors”. ‘Events’ to include stays in neighbouring homes for an hour or two.

Innovation and Better Regulation Minister Matthew Kean told the NSW Parliament he is a “keen reader”of Flat-Chat journalist Jimmy Thomson: “(Mr Thomson) is popular in this place and he is well-read. He is one of the best writers…” Mr Thomson wrote recently of our Parliamentarians and their short-term rentals:

“…senior members of the state parliament have flouted planning laws and hounded those residents in the Bridgeport building in Sydney’s CBD who just wanted the block’s owners to obey the law.

But, of course, as the Bridgeport scandal has proved beyond measure, some MPs will act in their own interests whenever they can get away with it, with little regard for the laws they are undermining and no concern for the lives they are disrupting…as their colleagues wilfully turn a blind eye to their shenanigans. It’s when they go back to their properties in the country that overseas short-term visitors flood into their flats. And, since their constituencies are hundreds of kilometres away, there is no downside at the ballot box for these selfish pond scum.”

So who’s in the Airbnb next door to you - a couple having a ‘nooner’ or the gang with reportedly $100 million in heroin?

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