6 April 2020
It is now illegal for anyone in NSW to stay in an Airbnb or similar short-term letting agency accommodation, a government spokesman has declared.
Under the new coronavirus regulations, no one should be staying anywhere other than their own permanent home, and they could be fined or imprisoned if they were found to be breaking emergency rules. “There’s zero reason for someone to stay in an Airbnb,” said a spokesperson for the Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson. “It’s illegal to have any guests whatsoever. “It isn’t illegal for them to advertise the property but guests couldn’t get there without breaking the law.”
The spokesperson was responding to a question about why the long-awaited and much-debate code of conduct for the short-term rental accommodation industry was suddenly shelved after it had been scheduled to come into effect on April 10.
Apartment lobby group the Owners Corporation Network (OCN) said they were alarmed by the move, as the code of conduct was particularly urgent at the time of the COVID-19 emergency.