1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:01,240 Speaker 1: Brian Bridge. 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 2: Wellington councils on the hunt for more cash because obviously 3 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 2: they bug of their books and they need revenue. It's 4 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:11,639 Speaker 2: got owners of airbnb properties in sight. Currently anyone who 5 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 2: runs an Airbnb pays residential rates, but the council is 6 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 2: considering whether to charge them commercial rates instead. Now that 7 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,760 Speaker 2: is three point seven times the bill. This would mean 8 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 2: rates for those properties could treble. Airbnb hosts are worried 9 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 2: they'll soon be without a business and one example, this 10 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 2: woman says she would be out of business. Judy Wilson 11 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 2: owns an Airbnb. She's also the Airbnb Volunteer Community leader 12 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 2: for Wellington. Hi, Julie Suder, how are you? 13 00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 1: Yeah? Good? 14 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 2: Thank you, thanks for coming on the show. How many 15 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 2: for most people do they airbnb their own house and 16 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 2: do are they therefore not living there when the airbnb 17 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 2: is staying. 18 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: Most hosts actually airbnb their houses when they're away, so 19 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: it's primarily their family home and on holiday or if 20 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: they're away, they'll airbnb their space. We also have some 21 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: hosts that works, they work out of Wellington a few 22 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: days a week or work in Wellington either way and 23 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: that they've got a home in Wellington. And they will 24 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: rent out in Airbnb for that portion of the time 25 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: when they're away. 26 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: Right, what's your rate? What would your rates bill change 27 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:22,759 Speaker 2: to you if this went ahead? 28 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: Oh, it's something around the forty thousand dollar mark, So 29 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: it would just mean we wouldn't it would you know, 30 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: it's well over what would even earn anything like that. 31 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: So myself and many hosts like me would just stop hosting. 32 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: We had just incorporate the Airbnb that's in the bells 33 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: of their house back into being our house, which I 34 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,559 Speaker 1: mean it's used by my family when it's not being 35 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: used by an airbnb, So that would kind of be 36 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: lost to the Wellington market, you know, all that money 37 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: that comes in from you know, having hosts, sorry, guests 38 00:01:58,040 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 1: come and stay with us. 39 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 2: Right, what's your what's your rates at the moment? 40 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: Just over eleven thousand, right, So I mean because they've 41 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,399 Speaker 1: gone up, they've gone up. Wellington's gone up so much 42 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: recently we've actually had more hosts coming on just to 43 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: be able to pay, you know, pay their rates. 44 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, and potentially get stung by this. Okay, So here's 45 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 2: the argument. If you're what you're doing is a commercial 46 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 2: activity and you're you know presumably your guess would be 47 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: using the roads and using the sewage and using the pipes, 48 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 2: et cetera. That the councils so justify why it shouldn't be. 49 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: Well, they're not using it for any more than what 50 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: a normal house is intended. It's not like we're, you know, 51 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: squeezing fifteen people into a two bedroom. It would the 52 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: same amount, you know. I think they keep talking about 53 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 1: the goal is to slice the rates pie fairly, but 54 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: charging sort of small part time hosts for commercial rates 55 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: is not really fair. Its successive, Like many of us 56 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: kind of rent occasionally, not as a full time business. 57 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:05,799 Speaker 1: But they're going to be treating us the same as 58 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 1: a hotel with hundreds of rooms, kind of overkilled. 59 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 2: I think it's I think it's what they might call extortion, actually, Julie. 60 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:20,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know Wellington we need airbnbs like we 61 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: need them, like this weekend we had Homegrown and we 62 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: had the week fix triathlon. Hotels just won't meet the demand. 63 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: So you're certain time packs for World of yeah, you know, 64 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: World of wearible arts, rugby games. Also, look, I've. 65 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 2: Got family in Wellington. I know exactly what you're talking about. 66 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 2: You need you do need somewhere else. You do need options, Julie, 67 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 2: what do you think, just because I've got you on 68 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 2: the line and you're from Wellington, what do you think 69 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 2: is going to happen with is neone going to vote 70 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 2: for Tori Fan now? Is she gone? Well? 71 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: I think she's probably gone. 72 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, Okay, good to know. Good to check in on 73 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 2: the pulse, Julie, Thank you for that. Take care, Good 74 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 2: luck with your fight. Julie Wilson, Airbnb owner. 75 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 76 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: news Talks it Be from four pm weekdays, or follow 77 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.