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 (00:00):
Brian Bridge.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
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

(00:23):
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. Hi, Julie Suder, how are you?

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah? Good?

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Thank you, thanks for coming on the show. How many
for most people do they airbnb their own house and
do are they therefore not living there when the airbnb
is staying.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Most hosts actually airbnb their houses when they're away, so
it's primarily their family home and 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
that they've got a home in Wellington. And they will

(01:14):
rent out in Airbnb for that portion of the time
when they're away.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Right, what's your rate? What would your rates bill change
to you if this went ahead?

Speaker 1 (01:23):
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 had just incorporate the Airbnb that's in the bells
of their house back into being our house, which I

(01:44):
mean 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 (01:58):
Right, what's your what's your rates at the moment?

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Just over eleven thousand, right, So I mean because they've
gone up, they've gone up. Wellington's 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 (02:17):
Yeah, and 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 guess would be
using the roads and using the sewage and using the pipes,
et cetera. That the councils so justify why it shouldn't be.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
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 rates

(02:56):
is not really fair. Its successive, Like many of us
kind of 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 overkilled.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
I think it's I think it's what they might call extortion, actually, Julie.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
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 you're certain time packs for World of yeah, you know,
World of wearible arts, rugby games. Also, look, I've.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
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 neone going to vote
for Tori Fan now? Is she gone? Well?

Speaker 1 (03:47):
I think she's probably gone.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Yeah, Okay, good to know. Good to check in on
the pulse, Julie, Thank you for that. Take care, Good
luck with your fight. Julie Wilson, Airbnb owner.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
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