Dunedin property owners who are leasing out rooms for short-term visitor accommodation received letters from the City Council reminding them of the area’s District Plan and Building Act and how those laws affect them.
General manager community services Simon Pickford said the DCC is helping spread awareness and informing owners of the rules.
“We realise that many people letting rooms or their entire property do not realise they may not be compliant. However, the rules are in place to ensure that homes are safe for guests to use,” Pickford said.
“It’s also important from an insurance point of view to be fully compliant with the Building code. In addition, short-term guests have been shown to create more pressure on our district’s infrastructure and as such the DCC is reviewing the rating categories of properties that are used for STVA purposes but no decisions have yet been made.”
Pickford said owners need to inform the DCC if:
o They are temporarily or permanently letting an entire house for short-term visitors
o They have built a fully self-contained living area for short-term visitors on their property
o They are letting rooms to more than five guests in their own home
