Christchurch city councillor calls for bed register to crack down on unapproved Airbnbs
A Christchurch city councillor is advocating for a national bed register to better regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb. This follows a government ruling that apartment owners must obtain permission before converting residential units into holiday accommodation.
Why it matters
The debate highlights the growing tension between the rise of the gig economy in housing and the need for local governments to maintain residential zoning integrity.
A Christchurch city councillor is calling for a bed register to crack down on units being used for short-stay accommodation without permission.
His comments come after the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment backed a ruling that multi-unit or apartment owners must ask permission before using residential properties as a holiday or short-term rental.
The council had sought a determination from the ministry because it felt the owners of a unit had changed its consented use as a household unit by making it available for short-term accommodation.
Councillor Nathaniel Hertz Jardine said the move added more weight to the council's argument that more regulation of short-stay accommodation was needed .
"The underlying issue is that we decide democratically as a city which areas of our city should be used for long-term residents, which are the residentially-zoned areas, and which ones should be used for tourist accommodation, which is commercial zones.
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