Short-stay renewal fees deferred for 12 months

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Published: 28th June 2022

Noosa Council has deferred the introduction of annual fees for short-stay property owners until after a review of Noosa’s new Short-Stay Local Law.

Council has deferred the introduction of annual fees for short-stay property owners until after a review of Noosa's new Short-Stay Local Law.

Mayor Clare Stewart said the 12-month deferral answered calls from the industry during Council’s budget consultation.

“One-off application fees will still apply from July 1, but there will be no annual renewal fees payable until the 2023/24 financial year,” she said.

“Owners of more than 1500 short-stay properties have taken advantage of this year’s waived application fees, and as a result of this decision they’ll enjoy a further 12 months before paying a renewal fee.

“Short-stay property owners who’ve not yet applied for approval have until June 30 to do so before the one-of application fee waiver ends.”

The application and renewal fees were introduced as part of the new Short-Stay Local Law to manage the short-stay industry’s impact on Noosa’s residential amenity.

“We will review the new local law in 12 months to give us a clearer of picture of the costs of administration and compliance and then look to set the renewal fees,” Cr Stewart said.

Cr Stewart said the deferral would also assist the industry as it adapts to meeting requirements of the new local law.

Short-stay property owners must nominate a contact person to swiftly deal with problems, which can now be reported via a new 24-hour hotline - (07) 5329 6466.

The local law also introduces a code-of-conduct for guest behaviour and minimum safety standards for short-term-let properties to help protect guests in the absence of state regulation.

The Mayor said the measures responded to calls from the local community to ensure Noosa’s short-stay property owners – the majority of whom live outside of the shire – are being good neighbours by taking responsibility for dealing with problem guests.

For more information, see Council's website.