Short term accommodation rate hike pressures Airbnb owners in Wellington

Airbnb hosts warn there will be fewer accommodation options in Wellington as a result of a council vote to more than double rates for short-term rental accommodation providers. From July next year, short term accommodation providers will pay 2.6 times the base council rates. Wellington Airbnb host Julie Wilson said the rates were harsher than in other parts of the country, with some hosts expected to be hit with $20-40,000 rates - a "showstopper for them". “Any policy that will reduce accommodation supply and therefore reduce visitor spending is not going to be good for Wellington,” she said. Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said the increase in rates would make for a fairer system. "We know that's a challenge, but the reality is that we charge other accommodation providers a full commercial rate, that's 3.7 times at the moment.