Wagga councillor Richard Foley suggests higher rates for Airbnb owners to tackle housing crisis

Richard Foley has put forward a motion for Monday's ordinary meeting, calling on Wagga City Council to investigate rate variations or levies for residential properties being used as short-term stay accommodation.

Cr Foley said Airbnb hosts were making significant profits by pulling their properties from the open rental market, while upwards of 20 people compete for some rentals in the Wagga council area.

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Data from Airbnb shows there are at least 200 short-term rentals listed in Wagga, compared to about 140 rental properties currently on the open market.

"This is just one part of the wider problem of the housing situation not only here but statewide and nationwide," Cr Foley said.

"I just want to get a report on what sort of fair and reasonable regulatory approach can be taken. They have made these homes unavailable, which is their right, but I believe they need to be paying double rates."

Cr Foley said the extra funds generated from the rate increase could be pooled into a community affordable housing trust, used to invest in more affordable housing for Wagga.

Glen Oakman owns and operates 38 different Airbnb properties in Wagga. He is "not opposed" to seeing a levy implemented, so long as it is done in the correct way.

"If it's just going to go into a consolidated pool of money that council can use, then we need to say 'OK why are they collecting revenue in this way and how are they going to use it'," he said.

Mr Oakman wasn't convinced putting some of Wagga's short-term stay accommodation properties back on the rental market would ease the affordable housing situation, as the rent on most would be "above $500 a week".

He also said removing some of the city's Airbnb-type properties would worsen the current accommodation shortage, which is prevalent whenever a big event is held in Wagga.

"Short-term accommodation also isn't only there for events. Probably 60 per cent of my accommodation ... is actually used by contractors that are coming into town and building things like the PCYC building, the hospitals and the conservatorium of music," Mr Oakman said.

Cr Foley said it was paramount the local council search for solutions to the ongoing housing crisis, rather than simply relying on higher tiers of government.

He said the current shortage will become even worse when hundreds of workers descend upon the city to work on upcoming projects like Inland Rail, HumeLink as well as upgrades to Kapooka and RAAF Base Wagga.

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