Petition against a noisy Airbnb triggers council debate on Bass Coast housing crisis

A response to a noise petition in Corinella has spilt over into a wider debate on the lack of regulation for short-term stay accommodation and housing affordability at a Bass Coast Shire council meeting.

Corinella residents signed a petition seeking stricter enforcement of laws around short-stay accommodation, due to what they say is a particularly noisy and disruptive Airbnb property in the area.

“If you’ve bought a house next to a pub and you’re complaining about the noise I’ve got almost no sympathy for you,” said Councillor Mat Morgan. 

“But when you’ve got essentially a party house next to you … you’ve got no ability from a local laws perspective or a police perspective when you’ve got different people coming and staying every night.”

In response to the petition the council moved a motion to reaffirm its commitment to its Short Stay Rental Accommodation local laws, which were put into effect in 2023, and to look for any opportunity to strengthen those laws later in the year.

The council also voted to advocate to the state government for stricter regulations on the short-stay rental market.

The discussion around Corinella broadened into a debate about the use of short-term accommodation across Bass Coast Shire.

“Our modern regulation hasn’t been able to catch up to the short stay, deregulated housing accommodation,” said Morgan.

“It’s a dangerous, slippery slope where we’ve got a rental shortage already, and when landlords can make a killing out of rental properties, but they can make even more out of Airbnb, it's getting into pretty dangerous territory where people are sleeping in their cars.” 

Councillor Meg Edwards said that although she agreed with this particular motion, she didn’t accept that “a penalisation of Airbnb … is going to do anything to impact the shortage of long-term accommodation”.