Plain answers to the questions Western Australia and QLD property owners ask most often about Airbnb approvals, registrations, and council compliance.
It depends on whether your property is hosted or unhosted, and where it is located. Hosted stays — where you are present during the guest's visit — are exempt from development approval across Western Australia, though state registration remains mandatory.
For unhosted properties in the Perth metropolitan area, a council development approval is required above 90 nights per year. In regional councils like Busselton and Augusta-Margaret River, approval is required regardless of night count. The January 2026 deadline has passed — properties without the required approval are at risk of deregistration, which requires platforms including Airbnb and Stayz to remove the listing. Full timeline →
Hosted (you are present on the property during guest stays) — exempt from development approval across all of Western Australia. State registration is still required.
Unhosted in Perth metro — no approval needed under 90 nights per year. Over 90 nights, a development approval from your local council is required.
Unhosted outside Perth metro — each council sets its own rules. Busselton and Augusta-Margaret River require approval from night one. Other regional councils vary. Browse our council-by-council guide to confirm what applies to your property.
Hosted means the owner or a permanent resident lives on the property during the guest's stay — for example, renting a spare room while you are home, or using a granny flat while guests occupy the main house.
Unhosted means guests have exclusive use of the entire property with no owner or resident present. This is the standard whole-house Airbnb model.
The distinction is significant: hosted short-term rental is exempt from development approval requirements across Western Australia. Unhosted is what triggers the 90-night threshold and council DA requirements.
Unhosted short-term rental in the Perth metropolitan area is exempt from council development approval if the property is rented for 90 nights or fewer in a 12-month period. The nights are non-consecutive and accumulate across the registration year.
The state STRA Register tracks bookings automatically and notifies owners at 80 and 90 nights. If you intend to operate above 90 nights, the Western Australia Government's own guidance recommends applying for development approval before you start — not after you hit the threshold.
The 90-night rule applies only in Perth metro. It does not apply in Busselton, Augusta-Margaret River, or Queensland councils like Noosa, where approval is required regardless of nights.
Everyone — existing and new. The STRA reforms apply regardless of how long a property has been operating. Operating without the required registration or development approval is an offence under the Planning and Development Act 2005.
Registration has been mandatory since 1 January 2025. Since January 2026, platforms cannot list properties without a valid STRA registration number. The state register gives councils direct visibility of who is operating and how many nights they are booking — making non-compliant properties easy to identify. See the full timeline or how to register.
Yes. State registration is mandatory for all short-term rental accommodation in Western Australia — hosted and unhosted — regardless of how many nights per year you operate. Registration became mandatory from 1 January 2025.
The 90-night threshold only determines whether you also need a council development approval. Registration is a separate, universal requirement.
Register at the official STRA Register portal. Initial fee is $250, annual renewal is $100. See our short-term accommodation register guide for fees, what to have ready, and how to complete the application.
Operating without registration is an offence under the Planning and Development Act 2005 and can result in significant fines.
Since January 2026, booking platforms including Airbnb and Stayz are required to only list properties with a valid Western Australia STRA registration number. Unregistered properties cannot advertise or accept bookings — and the state register gives councils a direct feed of who is operating and how many nights they are booking.
Yes — registration and development approval are separate requirements. Existing development approvals remain valid, but you still need to register on the state Short-Term Rental Register and provide your development application number as part of registration.
If you had an existing approval (for example, for a holiday house or bed and breakfast), you can enter that approval number when registering to confirm compliance with the state register.
The standard Western Australia planning timeframe is 60 days from lodgement of a properly made application. However, this varies by council and application type.
Applications that require neighbour advertising (which most unhosted short-term rental development applications do) take longer — add 14–21 days for the advertising period. Advertised applications where a neighbour objects may take longer again.
Some councils are faster than others depending on their current DA workload. Busselton and Noosa, both of which process high volumes of short-term rental development applications, typically have well-established processes.
If you are operating without approval now, lodge as soon as possible — assessment periods mean you are accumulating risk every month you delay, and some councils apply higher fees for retrospective applications.
Full walkthrough: Airbnb application process in Western Australia →
A management plan is a document submitted with your development application that explains how you'll operate your short-term rental — covering things like guest numbers, check-in and check-out times, noise management, parking, complaints handling, and house rules.
Almost every Western Australia and QLD council requires a management plan as part of a STRA development application. The format and required content varies by council — some want a structured form with specific labelled fields, others want a free-form narrative document.
Urban Approval Group prepares the management plan for your specific council as part of the application we lodge on your behalf.
The standard documents required by most councils are:
• Development Application form (signed by all owners)
• Management Plan (content specified by each council's local planning policy)
• Certificate of Title (available from Landgate at landgate.wa.gov.au)
• Site plan and floor plans
Some councils require additional documents — for example Noosa requires building certification, pool safety certification, and electrical certification for smoke alarms. Busselton requires a bushfire emergency plan for properties in bushfire-prone areas.
Check our individual council pages for the specific document list for your council.
When a council advertises a development application, it notifies adjoining and nearby property owners in writing that an application has been lodged and invites them to make written submissions. This is called neighbour notification or advertising.
So yes — your immediate neighbours will typically receive a letter from the council informing them of your application. They have the opportunity to object or support it.
In the Town of Victoria Park, for example, unhosted short-term rental is an "A" use in Residential zones, meaning advertising is mandatory for every application. In some other councils it may be discretionary depending on the application.
Objections from neighbours don't automatically mean your application is refused — councils assess applications on planning merits, not by majority vote. A well-prepared management plan and application package is the best way to address potential concerns before they become objections.
There are two separate costs: the council's own council application fee, and Urban Approval Group's service fee.
Council application fees vary by council. In Western Australia, common fees range from $295 (Busselton) to higher amounts depending on the council's fee schedule. In Noosa (QLD), the application fee is $1,026 with an annual renewal of $400 (house) or $200 (unit). The council fee is paid directly to the council — not to Urban Approval Group.
Urban Approval Group's service fee is $500 flat — this covers pathway assessment, management plan preparation, application lodgement with the council, and follow-up through to a decision.
You can find council-specific fees on our individual council pages.
Operating an unhosted short-term rental without the required development approval is a breach of the Planning and Development Act 2005. Consequences can include:
• A compliance notice from the council requiring you to cease operating
• Enforcement action including fines
• Referral for de-registration from the state Short-Term Rental Register
• Higher retrospective council application fees at some councils (like Busselton) if you apply after the fact
The state Short-Term Rental Register gives councils direct visibility of who is operating and how many nights they're booking — making it straightforward to identify properties operating over the threshold without a development application.
Yes — you can lodge a development application at any time, including if you've been operating without approval. The council will assess the application on its planning merits.
However, some councils apply a higher fee for retrospective applications. The City of Busselton, for example, charges more for applications lodged after a property has already been operating without approval.
Applying now — even retrospectively — is always better than continuing to operate without approval and waiting for a compliance notice.
In Queensland, operating without the required development approval is a development offence under the Planning Act 2016. Penalties can reach up to 50 penalty units — approximately $8,345 based on 2025–26 penalty unit rates.
In Noosa specifically, the local law has been actively enforced since February 2022 and the Council monitors compliance through an online dashboard. Operating without approval in Noosa is a real enforcement risk, not a theoretical one.
No. Queensland does not have a statewide 90-night exemption. Each council in Queensland sets its own rules through its local planning scheme.
In Noosa, approval is required from night one — there is no night-count exemption at all. In Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, whether a development application is required depends on the lot's zone. In Brisbane, Council confirmed on 12 May 2026 that the proposed citywide permit scheme is not proceeding at this time — zoning and existing approvals still apply.
Check the council page for your specific QLD council to confirm what applies to your property.
The Sunshine Coast Council does not run a dedicated short-stay letting local law. Whether you need a development application depends on the lot's zone and overlays under the planning scheme. Read the Sunshine Coast guide.
Noosa Shire, however, is a separate council from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. If your property is in the Noosa Shire (Noosa Heads, Noosaville, Sunshine Beach, Peregian Beach etc.), approval is required under Noosa's local law. Check which council your property actually falls under before assuming.
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Information on this page is based on published Western Australia and QLD government guidance and is updated as policy changes. Always confirm current requirements directly with the relevant council or registration authority before making decisions. See our individual council pages for sourced, council-specific detail.
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