Bundaberg Council and new rules re backpackers and itinerant workers.

Recently Bundaberg council changed the rules regarding renting out your property to backpackers and itinerants. There is no problem renting out your house to non visa holders but as soon as you rent out your property to itinerants you need a development approval even if it is 5 or less. Bundaberg Council is basically telling investors that they will decide who you can and cannot rent your house to. As soon as you have 2 or more itinerants this is classified as a non single household and is not allowed, Renting out your house to locals does not require you to make a development application. My question is that if this should go to court as they have been threatening me is there a change that I will lose this? I find this new ruling grossly unfair and believe Bundaberg Council is the only council that has come up with this.Does anyone know of a lawyer who would be willing to look into this, I have approached 2 law firms but they were not interested.
 
Of course you can lose if you go to court. You can also be ordered to pay the costs of the winning side.

On the other hand, you may win, and possibly have your costs paid.

Do you have the time and money to launch a test case against the council?
Marg
 
Its a common issue - New York City, Sydney City, Gosford Council and many many others. Very normal in beachside areas to have an anti-backpacker rule to ensure boarding houses (and tenancies containing boarders illegally) specifically comply with special rules. Even Las Vegas has a 45 day rule and you MUST move out of LV for one night.

All you need is a DA. If they will give one. That's the purpose. To regulate and enforce undesirable property use that may affect your neighbours.

Its not a breach of human rights or discrimination. Its a use of the property and covered by local government law. Same as bottleshops, brothels, needle exchanges, meth clinics, pubs, churches and all forms of industrial / commercial zoning.
 
Bundaberg is not really a party town, people are coming here to do seasonal work, most of them are asians.Sharing a house is a lot cheaper for them than being ripped of by the backpacker hostels. I don`t think it is an issue with undesirable property use, I think council is doing this to protect the interest of the backpacker hostels as they have been complaining a lot about all the private houses renting to backpackers.I am renting to backpackers and itinerants after many bad experiences with the local population.Have done so for the last 3 years but now council is stopping it. To be fair I think council should make everyone who rents out their property get a da irrespective of who rents it.
 
Recently Bundaberg council changed the rules regarding renting out your property to backpackers and itinerants. There is no problem renting out your house to non visa holders but as soon as you rent out your property to itinerants you need a development approval even if it is 5 or less.
Could you provide a link to this law?

Does it really specify "itinerants", or does it refer to short-term leasing?
 
I find it odd that one guy standing on the doorstep can rent a spare room because he is... (struggling to find criteria here)... *intending to stay a while*got an aussie passport*got a permament job*is white*... the guy next to him can't because he is *in possession of a backpack*looks like he hasn't had a hot shower in 3 days*. Seriously what separates people from being backpackers to a young person that likes to move around a bit and meet a few people, or a guy just chasing some work?
 
This is a copy of their factsheet, it does specify backpackers and itinerants,

http://www.bundaberg.qld.gov.au/brc/policy.php?doc_num=MD-7-485
That's an oddly-worded description of the policy, but it sounds like the issue is actually with having multiple tenancy (i.e. more than one household) on a low-density residential lot, which is prohibited in most places across Australia.

i.e. I suspect this isn't so much a new law, but a statement of the law in the context of the most common infringements noted in Bundaberg.
 
That's an oddly-worded description of the policy, but it sounds like the issue is actually with having multiple tenancy (i.e. more than one household) on a low-density residential lot, which is prohibited in most places across Australia.

i.e. I suspect this isn't so much a new law, but a statement of the law in the context of the most common infringements noted in Bundaberg.

It only applies to backpackers and itinerants, they consider 2 or more of these a multiple household whilst 4 local friends or 2 local couples can rent a house with no hassle.
 
Bahahaha - they've printed their phone number incorrectly in the last para of the fact sheet. When you phone it, it goes to a stripper booking service. Try "883" instead of "833" :D
 
Bundaberg is not really a party town, people are coming here to do seasonal work, most of them are asians.Sharing a house is a lot cheaper for them than being ripped of by the backpacker hostels. I don`t think it is an issue with undesirable property use, I think council is doing this to protect the interest of the backpacker hostels as they have been complaining a lot about all the private houses renting to backpackers.I am renting to backpackers and itinerants after many bad experiences with the local population.Have done so for the last 3 years but now council is stopping it. To be fair I think council should make everyone who rents out their property get a da irrespective of who rents it.

That's going to make it a slow process to rent any house / apartment. The DA process Bundy have chosen does that for a risk group.
 
That's going to make it a slow process to rent any house / apartment. The DA process Bundy have chosen does that for a risk group.


I consider renting out to locals a lot riskier than to the backpackers, they are respectful and rent has never been a problem
 
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