Tasmania

It’s important for you to understand your local laws if you want to become an Airbnb host. We provide a platform and marketplace, but we don’t provide legal advice. Even so, we want to share some information to help you understand the main laws and other rules that relate to short stay accommodations in Tasmania. The information in this article isn’t exhaustive, but it should help you start your research on local laws.

Regulations and requirements

Based on Planning Directive No. 6: Exemption and Standards for Visitor Accommodation in Planning Schemes, hosts in Tasmania are required to register for a permit with their local council or claim an exemption if their listing is eligible. Please review the Tasmanian government’s website for additional information.

In addition, based on the Short Stay Accommodation Act of 2019, booking platforms like Airbnb are required to collect information from hosts regarding their planning permissions.

How to comply

To comply with the regulations outlined above, hosts in Tasmania need to complete three main steps.

Step 1: Check if you’re eligible for an exemption

First, you’ll need to find out if your listing is eligible for an exemption. There are a few reasons your listing could be exempt from getting a permit in Tasmania:

• Home-sharing exemption: A permit is not required if your listing is your main place of residence (a primary residence, including granny flat or self-contained space in your primary residence), and you host your space when you’re temporarily away OR guests occupy no more than 4 bedrooms. This includes any part of a dwelling (whether or not it has a separate entrance) or a separate ancillary dwelling.
• Section 12 of the Land Use, Planning, and Approvals Act 1993: Hosts who lawfully used their property for visitor accommodation before July 1, 2018 are not required to get a permit.
• Other listing types: Hotels, motels, and caravan parks are not required to get a permit.

If your listing is exempt, you do not need to go through the permit process outlined in steps two and three below, but you will need to claim an exemption through Airbnb to keep hosting. You can do this easily online in less than 5 minutes.

Step 2: Get a permit from your local council

If your listing is not exempt, you’ll need to get a permit from your local council. To receive a permit number, complete the standard application permit form and submit to your local council. We recommend reviewing the Tasmania government exemption and permit summary 1 pager and Visitor Accommodation Act FAQs.

Submission processes vary by council–you can visit your local council’s website or contact your local council to get started.

Step 3: Add your permit number to your listing

Once you’ve received a permit from your local council, you’ll need to add it to your listing to continue hosting on Airbnb. Without a permit number posted by 12/4/2019, your listing will be deactivated.

For more information about short stay accommodation requirements, you can visit the Tasmanian Government’s website on the Short Stay Accommodation Act.