No long-term rentals but 200 short-stay listings in WA towns

Nannup in the South West has a high rate of short-stay accommodation. (ABC South West WA: Gabrielle Becerra Mellet) A new report shows short-stay listings outnumber long-term rental listings one to three in WA. The short-term accommodation sector says it can not be blamed for a nationwide housing crisis. A WA housing advocacy group is calling for a ban on new holiday homes in low-vacancy areas. Link copiedShareShare articleShort-stay rentals are outnumbering long-term rentals in regional WA by 15 to 1, prompting new calls to check their growth. Shelter WA said its six-month snapshot from last year showed Airbnb vastly outnumbered long-term rentals in some towns by 200 to zero. It identified 45 "pain zones" across WA where Airbnbs "catastrophically" outnumbered private rentals. In the South West town of Nannup, 260km south of Perth, short-stay rentals outnumbered long-term rentals 90 to zero. Shelter WA, the state's peak body for affordable housing and ending homelessness, is calling for a ban on new Airbnb rentals in all areas that have a vacancy rate of less than 3 per cent. The short-term accommodation industry argues it should not be held responsible for a broader housing crisis. Shelter WA found that in metropolitan WA, such as Mundaring, Bassendean, Serpentine-Jarrahdale and Fremantle, all had high ratios of short-term to long-term rentals. But the disparity was stark in regional areas. In the Mid West region, the towns of Gingin and Dandaragan had 201 and 106 unhosted Airbnbs listed, respectively, but no long-term rentals. In the Shire of Nannup, there were 90 short-term accommodation rentals listed from March to September, and zero long-term properties. Michelle Carter says limits are needed on holiday homes in Nannup. (ABC News: Gabrielle Becerra Mellet) Nannup local Michelle Carter said the situation was "a joke" and called for limits. "Half the time they sit empty, and you have people who live and work in this town, and they struggle to get a rental," said Ms Carter, who works in the local bottle shop. "Yes, we have our events, we have our music festivals, I don't doubt most of our short-term rentals will be full this weekend … but a fortnight after that, all houses will be empty, and there will still be people camping, putting tents, house-sharing, subletting." Nannup has a visitor economy. (ABC South West WA: Gabrielle Becerra Mellet) Shire of Nannup chief executive David Taylor said about 15 per cent of the shire's housing stock was now short-stay holiday houses. He said while the shire was looking at mechanisms to curb the growth of unhosted accommodation, it had to strike a balance. "That's the challenge that Nannup faces: we need houses for people to rent and buy, but we have a visitor economy," he said. Shelter WA CEO Kath Snell said state government incentives had returned about 800 homes to the long-term market, but that had been offset by 900 new holiday home listings in the two years to September 2025. "Affordable one- and two-bedroom homes have been hollowed out of the long-term rental market." She said the governments should implement a ban on new holiday homes in areas with rental vacancy rates below 3 per cent. The City of Busselton, 220km south of Perth, has some of WA's strictest restrictions on short-stay accommodation, which will see new holiday homes banned in key residential areas. There, Shelter WA estimated that the number of short-term rentals listed in the city outnumbered long-term rentals listed by 40 to one. The market correction cannot come soon enough for Sharon Charles, 55, who lives in a share house in the centre of town. Sharon Charles says she supports restrictions on new holiday homes in areas with low vacancy rates. (ABC News: Georgia Loney) "In 2025 I found myself homeless due to the rental prices in Busselton being above and beyond my financial capabilities, and I was very lucky to be able to secure a home," she said. Ms Charles said she was fortunate to pay $700 a week for a three-bedroom house she shares with two others. "I am 55, and I would prefer at this stage of my life, to live in my own one-bedroom unit, or two-bedroom unit, or a granny flat. All of those have been taken up by [unhosted short stays]," she said. Sharon Charles lives in share accommodation in Busselton. (ABC News: Georgia Loney) The short-term accommodation sector said it was wrong to blame holiday homes for the wider housing crisis. Geographe Holiday Homes co-owner Tegan Wilde warned against oversimplifying the issue as "short-term rentals versus housing." "We're dealing with underlying issues like housing supply, planning constraints, population growth, infrastructure and construction costs. Short-term rentals are just one part of a much bigger system," she said. A state government spokesperson said its short-term rental scheme had successfully returned hundreds of properties to the long-term market. "Our government has also introduced a number of m

No long-term rentals but 200 short-stay listings in WA towns

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No long-term rentals but 200 short-stay listings in WA towns

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