We Live Here Movement

28/04/2024

Quiz the politicians 19 July
Open Forum on Affordable Housing and Short-term Rentals
You are invited to a “We Live Here” Forum, the first after a long, pandemic-induced hiatus.
The housing crisis has been capturing headlines for some time now and this forum will be an opportunity for the community to get some answers from our pollies.
Come along to Library at The Dock, 107 Victoria Harbour Promenade, Docklands 3008. Everyone is invited to arrive by 6:45pm for a 7pm start.
“We Live Here” has invited leaders from across the political spectrum, plus councillors, as well as resident activists.
• Danny Pearson, MLA for Essendon, Minister for Consumer Affairs
• John Pesutto, MLA for Hawthorn, Leader of the Opposition
• Gabriella De Vietri, MLA for Richmond
• Ellen Sandell, MLA for Melbourne, Leader of the Greens in the Legislative Assembly
• Rohan Leppert, Melbourne City Councillor
• Moderator: Tom Bacon, Strata Title Lawyers
To check who has accepted our invitation, visit our website welivehere.net or page.
The past few months have seen some major developments regarding the housing crisis:
1. Worried Labor MPs leak policy ideas
Some coy Labor MPs are privately considering capping the number of nights operators can let properties as short stays, imposing a ‘tourist tax’, or empowering councils to levy higher commercial rates on short-stay properties. The MPs are challenging Labor policy for fear of disaffecting youth voters, among the hardest hit by the housing crisis.
2. Greens policy announcement and Bill
The Greens made major policy statement and on 30 May, introduced the Owners Corporations Amendment (Short-stay Accommodation) Bill 2023, aiming to:
• put a cap on the number of days that a dwelling can be used for short stays;
• give owners corporations power to regulate short stay rentals;
• establish a mandatory register of short-stay properties.
The Bill was defeated 53-32 after an extraordinary debate with continual Labor interjections that exposed the government’s frustratingly inertial stance.
3. Liberal support for reforms
Liberal MPs including John Pesutto, Leader of the State Opposition and Matthew Guy voted in favour of the Greens’ Bill to introduce basic reforms.
4. Industry bodies speak out
Victorian Tourism Industry Council and Accommodation Association has been lobbying the government about its concerns around the housing shortage.
5. City councils act
Yarra City Council in Melbourne is considering a tax on short-term rentals such as Airbnb. Bass Coast, Frankston, Mornington Peninsula councils and most recently Warrnambool Council have implemented registration systems, with annual fees. Yarra Ranges Council lobbied the state government on short stays. Port Phillip Council is investigating means of regulating the short-stay industry.
6. Rental and housing enquiry
The Legislative Council Legal and Social Issues Committee announced an inquiry into rental and housing affordability. Trung Luu (Committee Chair) emailed “We Live Here” last month with the details of the enquiry. The committee has 12 members: three Labor, five Liberal, two from Legalise Cannabis and one each from the Greens and the Nationals. Check the “We Live Here” page for more details.
Campaign donations
As a not-for-profit organisation, donations from individuals and buildings keep our campaigns going. To register as a supporter of "We Live Here" or make a donation, please visit welivehere.net. "We Live Here" does not accept donations from commercial tourism interests.

Apartment owners and residents, have your voice heard!

with local communities and government at all levels to ensure that the interests of residents in high density living areas are protected and advanced

27/11/2023

December 2023
From housing crisis to hope?
Now that Victoria has both a new Premier and a new Minister for Consumer Affairs, can we dare to hope or dream there will be some meaningful changes during the first term of this new government?
When the previous premier, Daniel Andrews took office in December, 2014, the focus was on boosting tourism; the rights and liveability of residents were ignored.
The rise of short-stay accommodation over the past eight years has reduced the availability of long-term rental properties, particularly in sought-after urban and tourist-centric regions.
A short-stay property levy of 7.5% announced in the Victorian Government’s Housing Statement and released just days before Mr Andrews resigned, is scheduled to come into effect only in January 2025!
The micro-levy is so small that it will do nothing to address the housing crisis. The Housing Statement states explicitly that the short-stay levy is purely a fund-raising device without any aspirations whatsoever for behavioural change. Collecting only $70 million per year, it will take decades for the program to deliver any meaningful volume of housing stock.
Let’s learn from a decade of global experience. For example. New York has provided a model for managing the short-stay industry to balance competing interests. Like most major tourist destinations, New York’s regulations include mandatory registration of short-stay operators.
We Live Here looks forward to dialog with the incoming Minister for Consumer Affairs, Ms Gabrielle Williams, about these issues and the plethora of established solutions.
The 2024 agenda
We want the government to review the legislative framework – with full community consultation here in Victoria. (Anyone could be forgiven for thinking that the current legislation was drafted over a couple of caramel macchiatos at the Airbnb headquarters in San Francisco.)
Two Acts affecting owners corporations need urgent attention:
The Owners Corporation (Short Stay Accommodation) Act 2018
The government promised a review by February 2021 – that promise was broken. About 50 cases have been to VCAT, costing OCs thousands in legal fees, without a single case being successful. The threshold is just far too high. Currently this worthless Bill is incorporated into the main Owners Corporations Act.
Owners Corporations and Other Acts Amendment Act 2021
This patchwork act incorporates the unreviewed Short Stay Accommodation Act 2018 and the amendments to the OC Act dated 1 December 2021. It’s a hot mess.
The legislation is past its use-by date and even the state government has promised to repeal the Act “between 2023 and 2027”. At the going ratio of promises to action, that could mean sometime after 2035.
Short-stay accommodation was excluded from a 2018 review of the Owners Corporation Act because of planning issues. This time, everything needs to be examined.
There must be a level playing field. Let’s hope that with a new team at the helm some action will at last be taken so that Melbourne will not be known the world over as having the weakest short stay regulations.
Campaign donations
As a not-for-profit organisation, donations from individuals and buildings keep our campaigns going. To register as a supporter of "We Live Here" or to donate, please visit

"We Live Here" is a resident movement dedicated to creating a cohesive and well-informed community for people living in high-density residential buildings.

08/10/2023

Airbnb renter-turned-squatter leaves Los Angeles homeowner tied up in legal red tape: report.

Just another day in the life of Airbnb.

28/09/2023

Short stays ‘out of control’
The woeful inadequacy of the state’s short-stay legislation remains in the spotlight, with heightened tension in municipalities throughout the state.
City and rural councils are being faced with mounting resident complaints of noise, parties, nudity, assault and property damage.
The intensity is increasing as party-lovers emerge from their pandemic-induced hibernation, as if making up for lost time. And with zero consequences, the behaviour is worsening.
The short-stay industry is a huge commercial business for many operators. Data collected by insideairbnb.com shows that 50 operators control 543 listings in Port Phillip. These 50 businesses are each managing up to $20 million in property assets. All up, there is potentially a monumental $1 billion in short-stay assets in Port Phillip – a big business by any measure.
The fallout from the continual social disruption has led to a groundswell of support and media coverage for a local residents’ advocate in the city. The advocate has shocking evidence of short stay visitors assaulting residents with threatening language, including homophobic slurs, in common areas.
The short-stay chaos in Victoria is an abject disgrace and must be stopped.
Short-stay metastasis – statewide
Short-stay impacts are being felt the breadth of the state - Warrnambool, Bass Coast, Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Port Phillp (St Kilda). The alpine town of Bright is beleaguered by almost as many short-stay properties as the NSW tourist hotspot, Byron Bay.
These councils have taken direct action or expressed their frustration with the lack of action by the state government.
As the third tier of government, councils are reluctantly stepping into the breach and enacting fundamental reforms to stem the contagion.
With an election on the horizon, now is the time for the state Labor Party to formulate its policy in response to the shocking housing crisis. If the policies continue to be ineffective, the party risks losing ground across the state.
Industry welcomes micro-tax
For multinational corporations domiciled in putative tax havens, a new tax is fine and dandy - if somebody else pays it.
The state government’s proposed $5 micro-tax on short-stay guests has elicited fawning praise from industry leaders. Revealingly, other operators in the short-stay industry are bemoaning the token 1 or 2% that this proposed tax represents.
At least we are hopeful, now that we see the first timid moves from the state government indicating that they may be aware of rising community anger.
What’s next?
The Victorian community has been suffering eight years of government inertia. In 2015 the government promised to address only the party issue and even for that modest aspiration it has failed dismally. The so-called “Airbnb party” Act has proven ineffective. Of the 50 cases brought before VCAT, none have been successful. The problem has persisted and indeed worsened.
Victoria needs a statewide registration system.
Victoria needs the government to allow Owners Corporations to make rules on shorts stays.
Victoria needs the government to implement an annual day cap.
Victoria needs realistic and enforceable penalties.
Stop procrastinating. All these basic requirements are needed NOW.
Campaign donations
As a not-for-profit organisation, donations from individuals and buildings keep our campaigns going. To register as a supporter of "We Live Here" or to donate, please visit welivehere.net.

Apartment owners and residents, have your voice heard!

"We Live Here" is a resident movement dedicated to creating a cohesive and well-informed community for people living in high-density residential buildings.

26/09/2023

Cash without the cure
Victoria’s proposed tax on short stays will generate cash for the state government while ignoring internationally recognised solutions to tackle problems with the industry.
Major cities and jurisdictions including London, Paris, Barcelona and even New South Wales, are all trying to regulate the behemoth industry that is having a devastating effect on housing affordability.
This month New York strengthened its laws to rein in the out-of-control short-stay industry. Under the new rules, rentals less than 30 days are only allowed if the operators are registered with the city. Operators must sign a commitment to being physically present throughout the rental, sharing the home with their guests. Plus, there is a limit of two guests per booking.
Valuable lessons from cities like New York are being disregarded in Victoria, and Melbourne will continue to suffer.
The proposed Victorian tax on short-term rentals will be factored into the accommodation price and the guests will pick up the tab. Short-stay operators already enjoy the loophole that allows the entire industry to avoid paying virtually any GST, and this new state tax only partly impacts that advantage.
If this tax is the only regulatory policy to be implemented at the state level, short-stay issues will continue unabated. The tax appears to legitimise the industry while leaving it unregulated. The government has missed the opportunity to gather intelligence on operators because the tax will be collected from the platforms like Airbnb, while operators will remain uncounted and unknown, carrying on regardless.
The only beneficiaries of the new tax will be Airbnb and other short-stay platforms; because the policy gives the impression that something is being done. Together, state government and the major short-stay platforms now have a policy outcome that will continue to ensure that Victoria is one of the most heavily saturated short-stay markets in the world.
Where did the short-stay tax idea originate? We know rising interest rates have been eroding the state’s stamp duty bonanza, and the games cancellation costs will be excruciating. Perhaps the state government just needed what the largest platform claims to offer hosts - “an extra bit of income” on the side?
We Live Here has just started liaising again with the government after a two-year hiatus. It is indeed disappointing that the issues we have been raising seem to have been discounted.
Eight years and we’re still waiting
After eight years of inaction the government has announced a policy that will only generate income for the state coffers, without solving systemic short-stay problems.
What else has the government done since 2015? It made one dismal attempt to look like it was taking action on short-stay parties, with a Bill that has had zero effect and, the last time we checked, zero tribunal orders in favour of residents.
Our policy is waiting to be heard and acted upon:
• A statewide registration system for sort-stay operators.
• Allow owners corporations to make rules on short stays.
• An annual day cap.
• Realistic and enforceable penalties.
All these basic requirements are being brushed aside while the government merely imposes a tax that might help balance its books.
Campaign donations
As a not-for-profit organisation, donations from individuals and buildings keep our campaigns going. To register as a supporter of "We Live Here" or to donate, please visit welivehere.net.

Apartment owners and residents, have your voice heard!

"We Live Here" is a resident movement dedicated to creating a cohesive and well-informed community for people living in high-density residential buildings.

31/08/2023

About time the City of Melbourne followed smaller councils addressing short term industry.

Now the Andrews government needs to follow the will of Victoria’s.

https://fb.watch/mLUHdqsh37/?mibextid=L5VOIv

28/07/2023

August 2023
Renaissance of reason
The We Live Here Forum on Housing Affordability and Short-Term Rentals showed that there are solutions to the crisis, and that people with different perspectives can work together to achieve results.
Solicitor Tom Bacon from Strata Title Lawyers moderated a lively community discussion with MPs Ellen Sandell, and Gabrielle De Vietri, Edward Crossland, Yarra Deputy Mayor, and resident activists from St Kilda and Yarra Valley. Backed by publicly available data, the nexus between short-stays and the housing crisis was proven.
MLCs Sheena Watt and Evan Mullholland were unable to attend, as were all Melbourne City Councillors. [“We Live Here” has accepted an invitation to meet with Evan Mulholland, and we will resume our regular meetings with the Consumer Affairs office, now part of the Government Services cluster.]
The panellists put forward constructive action plans, and with current complexion of the state parliament upper house, we feel the future is positive.
Our Yarra Valley resident activist also showed how statistical information can be used to support genuine solutions to the housing crisis.
Our resident activist from St Kilda reported on milestone achievements this year: the Municipal Association of Victoria adopted a policy of regulating short stays, and the Association will advocate the government for uniform change across the state. At least four councils have already introduced self-funding registration schemes.
The resident’s analysis also showed that of 50 “short-stay” cases brought before VCAT by aggrieved residents, none had orders issued against the short-stay operator.
Tom Bacon offered explanations: either the short-stay legislation was incompetently drafted, or it was designed to fail.
Let’s fix this – fast. Registration of short-term rentals can deliver immediate results. If your MP is unaware of the issue, please write to them. Write to your city councillors too.
Cladding chaos continues – for some
Some apartment owners are still in limbo, with flammable cladding deemed not dangerous enough for state government support, and too dangerous for the council, banks and insurers.
Owners in some major buildings are facing financial devastation, unable to sell their apartments because of an outstanding building order to remove flammable cladding, and rejected by lenders.
Flammable cladding was installed in thousands of buildings, with governments around the world blithely allowing the practice under the principle of “self-regulation”.
The Victorian state government is as guilty as others. This disaster was allowed to occur, and our government assumed limited responsibility. The emergency fund set up under Cladding Safety Victoria (CSV) had a headline budget of $600 million, except the fine print revealed that around half was for government buildings, leaving about $300 million for private buildings.
With over 1000 Victorian apartment buildings affected, that was less than $300,000 each. With costs between $1 million and $10 million, and often much more expensive, it was clear that most buildings would miss out. The budget was just too small. The government decided to fund only “high risk” buildings – with the definition of “high risk” being inscrutably secret.
The CSV money pot must be empty by now and we still have buildings suffering in cladding purgatory.
Campaign donations
As a not-for-profit organisation, donations from individuals and buildings keep our campaigns going. To register as a supporter of "We Live Here" or to donate, please visit welivehere.net.

Apartment owners and residents, have your voice heard!

"We Live Here" is a resident movement dedicated to creating a cohesive and well-informed community for people living in high-density residential buildings.

27/07/2023

Having purchased or rented a home or an apartment, the former NSW Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes MP, has decided that we should all now live in unregulated quasi-Hotels/Transit Zones. He has used ministerial discretion to change the State Environmental Planning Policy, making commercial short-t....

23/07/2023

Thanks to Victorian Greens and Gabrielle de Vietri

23/07/2023

Fwd: MEDIA RELEASE: “NO PENALTIES DISHED OUT FOR AIRBNB CAP BREAKERS”

Neighbours Not Strangers
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Sunday, 23 July 2023

“NO PENALTIES DISHED OUT FOR AIRBNB CAP BREAKERS”

We remember very well the former NSW Minister for Fair Trading Matt Kean approaching us, requesting examples of “collusion” between agents and online booking platforms. Our response was that, in terms of numbers, perhaps the NSW State Government’s DestinationNSW was the biggest offender. DestinationNSW still continues to promote on an almost daily basis select Airbnb Rentals; there is no disclosure as to why certain landlords’ properties are selected for free publicity grace of our State Government and taxpayers. Example: 20 July, on DestinationNSW’s social media page, ‘Visit NSW’:
“A little self-care tip, put on your Spotify relaxation mix and find a moment of stillness with a stay at Wattlewood cabin in The Tweed, a tiny house with extraordinary views of nature…”
This Wattlewood Airbnb is a ‘toy home’ listed at $790.23 for a minimum two-night stay. And according to Tweed Shire Council’s DA Tracker, there appears to be no Development Approval for this structure. Why would our State Tourism body ever be interested in compliance and safety issues?

In 2021 the NSW Government also announced new state-wide Fire Safety Standards for short-term holiday rentals stating: “Guests in STRA experience greater risks than permanent residents in respect of fire safety, owing to their lack of familiarity with the dwelling.”

Multiple reports from Coroners were provided by us to the NSW Department of Planning. State legislation was nonetheless altered to allow every home to operate as a commercial holiday rental. When questioned as to how Fire Safety Regulations were to be monitored/enforced, the Director, Housing Policy, Department of Fair Trading advised that it would be left to the “good will” of landlords to ensure that legislation is met.

It was the Blue Mountains Gazette (only) who reported on a fire at an Airbnb last weekend: “Holiday Fire Nightmare – husband and wife firefighters save girl from burning home.” A link to Fire + Rescue NSW’s report can be found here.

Fire 23-07-23.jpeg

Airbnb is keen to see so-called ‘night caps’ implemented by governments; these effectively grant access to all housing for short-term rentals. Airbnb et al know very well that no ‘night-cap’ is enforceable. Former NSW State MPs Thomas George, John Williams and Kevin Humphries, prior to NSW Land and Environment Court Orders banning their “Illegal Use of Premises”, had their short-term rentals listed on 155+ online booking platforms.

Airbnb nightcaps.jpeg

Link to Financial Review article

As Jay Brinkmann, Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Research and Education at the Mortgage Bankers Association said: "Zoning Laws are only as good as the enforcement behind them. If you don't enforce, what's the good of having them on the books? It comes down to trust in Public Officials to enforce the laws...because if they won't enforce, they might as well not be there."

Alas, probably no truer statement could be offered, in terms of our NSW State Legislators and Public Servants.

--
Trish Burt
Convener
Neighbours Not Strangers
Follow us on Facebook
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Having purchased or rented a home or an apartment, the former NSW Minister for Planning, Rob Stokes MP, has decided that we should all now live in unregulated quasi-Hotels/Transit Zones. He has used ministerial discretion to change the State Environmental Planning Policy, making commercial short-t....