Julie Wilson: Airbnb volunteer community leader on Wellington Airbnb hosts voicing disapproval with accommodation rate hike

Wellington Airbnb hosts are hitting out at the city council and claiming accommodation rate hikes are overkill. 

It's proposing applying commercial rates to short-term accommodation providers.

It could treble owners' costs - leaving many hosts fearing for their businesses.

Airbnb volunteer community leader Julie Wilson says her rates would rise from about $11,000 to about $40,000 and she'd have to stop.

"It's excessive - many of us rent occasionally, not as a full-time business, but they're going to be treating us the same as a hotel with hundreds of rooms." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks EDB. Follow
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Speaker 2 (00:18):
Wellington councils on the hunt for more cash because obviously
they bug of their books and they need revenue. It's
got owners of airbnb properties in sight. Currently anyone who
runs an airbnb pays residential rates, but the council is
considering whether to charge them commercial rates instead. Now that
is three point seven times the bill. This would mean

(00:40):
rates for those properties could treble. Airbnb hosts are worried
they'll soon be without a business and one example, this
woman says she would be out of business. Judy Wilson
owns an Airbnb. She's also the Airbnb Volunteer Community leader
for Wellington.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
Hi, Julie Jorder, how are you? Yeah? Good?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Thank you, thanks for coming on the show. How many
for most people do they airbnb their own house and
are they therefore not living there when the airbnb is starting.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
Most actually airbnb their houses when they're away, so it's
primarily their family home and if they go on holiday
or if they're away, they'll airbnb their space. We also
have some hosts that works, they work out of Wellington
a few days a week or work in Wellington either way,
and they've got a home in Wellington and they will

(01:31):
rent out in Airbnb for that portion of the time
when they're away.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
Right, what's your rate? What would your rates bill changed
to if this went ahead?

Speaker 3 (01:39):
Oh, it's something around the forty thousand dollar mark, So
it would just mean we wouldn't it would, you know,
it's well over what would even earn anything like that.
So myself and many hosts like me would just stop hosting.
We'd just incorporate the Airbnb that's in the bells of
our house back into being our house, which I mean

(02:01):
it's used by my family when it's not being used
by an airbnb. So that would kind of be lost
to the Wellington market. You know, all that money that
comes in from you know, having hosts, sorry, guests come
and stay with us.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Right, what's your what's your rates at the moment?

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Just over eleven thousand, right, So I mean because they've
gone up, they've gone up, Wellington has gone up so
much recently we've actually had more hosts coming on just
to be able to pay you know, pay their rates.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Yeah, potentially get stung by this Okay, So here's the argument.
If you're what you're doing is a commercial activity and
you're you know, presumably your guests would be using the
roads and using the sewerage and using the pipes, et cetera,
that the councils so justify why it shouldn't.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Be Well, they're not using it for any more than
what a normal house is intended. It's not like we're
you know, squeezing fifteen people into a two bedroom. It
would the same amount, you know. I think they keep
talking about the goal is to slice the rates pie fairly,
but charging sort of small part time hosts for commercial

(03:12):
rates is not really fear its successive. Like many of
us kind of rate rent occasionally, not as a full
time business. But they're going to be treating us the
same as a hotel with hundreds of rooms. Kind of overkill.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
I think it's I think it's what they might call
extortion actually, Julie.

Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah, and you know Wellington, we need airbnbs like we
need them, like this weekend we had Homegrown and we
had the week Fix triathlon. Hotels just won't meet the demand.
So there's certain Timesas for World yeah, you know, World
of Wearible Arts rugby games.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
I'd also look, I've got family in Wellington. I know
exactly what you're talking about. You need, you do need
somewhere else. You do need options. Julie, what do you
think just because I've got you on the line and
you're from Wellington, what do you think is going to
happen with Is anyone going to vote for Tori Fan now?
Is she gone?

Speaker 1 (04:04):
Well?

Speaker 3 (04:04):
I think she's probably gone.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Yeah. Okay, good to know. To Chicken on the pulse, Julie,
thank you for that, Take care, good luck with your fight.
Julie Wilson, Airbnb owner.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
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