If you rent out a house or apartment for short stays, you’ll likely need a permit.
Hotels, serviced apartments with on-site managers, and home-hosted stays (where the owner lives on-site) are exempt.
Proposed Short Stay Accommodation Local Law 2025
The proposed local law aims to improve management of short stay rentals with permits and clear rules for operators.
Overview of proposed law
The proposed Short Stay Accommodation Local Law 2025 would introduce a permit system for homes and apartments rented out for short stays. It aims to make operators responsible for managing their guests and resolving issues quickly to protect Brisbane’s incredible lifestyle. This will help ensure local neighbourhoods remain safe, peaceful and enjoyable for everyone.
We are currently in the process of reviewing the submissions received during public consultation which closed on 16 February 2026.
Why are we proposing this law?
Brisbane is Australia’s lifestyle capital and short stay rentals can be popular for holidays and work trips, but they can sometimes cause problems for neighbours.
Introducing a local law was a key recommendation of Short Stay Accommodation Taskforce in 2024.
The proposed law aims to:
- protect Brisbane’s lifestyle by ensuring operators are accountable for guest behaviour, helping to reduce noise and disruption for neighbours
- enable quick action on complaints by requiring operators to respond promptly
- create fair, consistent rules so everyone knows what’s expected.
The proposed law and rule
Key features
- A permit would be required for homes used for short stays (less than 90 days at a time).
- Operators would be required to provide house rules to guests and display their permit number in advertisements.
- The permit holder can be the owner, tenant or property manager.
- A 24/7 contact person must be nominated to respond to complaints. This can be the operator or a third party.
- Operators must hold public liability insurance for the duration of each booking.
- Warnings or fines could be issued or permits revoked for repeated breaches.
- The proposed local law would commence on 1 July 2026.
You do not need a permit if your property is:
- a hotel
- nature-based tourism accommodation
- a resort complex
- a tourist park
- emergency housing or not-for-profit crisis accommodation (e.g. youth shelters, domestic and family violence refuges)
- a serviced apartment - a premises that is part of a letting pool with centralised management and an onsite property manager who:
- is available 24/7; and
- has contact details clearly displayed at the property and published online for public access
- home-hosted stays where:
- only part of the home is used for paying guests; and
- a long-term tenant who lives on-site and remains during the paying guests' stay
- workforce accommodation
- a community residence
- a residential care facility
- a retirement facility
- rural workers’ accommodation.
How would it work?
1. Getting a permit
- Permits would be required from 1 July 2026.
- Permits will be issued for a 12-month term and must be renewed annually.
- Applicants must have owners’ consent and notify the body corporate (if applicable).
- Where required, other approvals (e.g. development approval, pool safety certificate, certificate of occupancy) must be in place before applying.
2. Operating responsibly
- The nominated 24/7 contact person must respond to complaints within 60 minutes and report actions taken within 24 hours.
- Operators must manage guest behaviour and provide guests with house rules.
3. Complaints and response
- Council would notify the nominated contact person when a complaint is received.
- The contact person would be required to:
- Acknowledge the complaint within 60 minutes.
- Take reasonable steps to address the issue.
- Report back to Council within 24 hours detailing the actions taken to address the complaint.
- The nominated contact person must ensure their contact details are current. Council would notify the contact person via SMS or email.
- Queensland Police Service would continue to be responsible for serious incidents (e.g. parties, safety or crime).
- Council may follow up with the complainant to confirm whether the issue was resolved.
4. Compliance and enforcement
- Council uses a graduated approach: education, warnings, fines and in very serious cases, prosecution.
- These fines are proposed to range from 5 penalty units ($834)* for on-the-spot fines, up to 850 penalty units ($141,865)* should the matter be heard in court.
- Council may revoke the permit following 3 breaches.
- Operating without a permit may result in immediate enforcement.
- Council may audit permit holders to ensure they are following their permit conditions.
* The value of a penalty unit is set by the Queensland Government. As of 1 July 2025, the value of the penalty unit is equal to $166.90. The total is rounded down to the nearest dollar after calculation.
Is a development approval required to operate short stay accommodation?
Some properties may also need a development approval before applying for a local law permit, under Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan). City Plan sets out rules for how land is used or developed in Brisbane.
Short stay accommodation is generally supported in areas designed for tourism, higher-density living and visitor accommodation. For example, the CBD and inner-city suburbs where transport, services and neighbouring uses support short term stays.
Overlays are used in development planning to regulate how land can be used by protecting values and identifying hazards. Overlays can influence development approval requirements. Check whether your property is affected by any overlays by using City Plan online.
For advice on whether you need a development approval, and if so how to make an application, you can:
- phone Council on 07 3403 8888 and ask to speak to a Planning Information Officer
- contact Council to request a pre-lodgement consultation (for a fee).
For more information, visit our building and planning page.
Community consultation
Public consultation was open from 12 December 2025 and closed on 16 February 2026.
We are currently in the process of reviewing submissions.
Frequently asked questions
Short stay accommodation refers to residential properties that are rented out to guests for less than 90 consecutive days. This includes entire homes and apartments.
It is generally used for tourism, work trips or short visits rather than long-term living.
The Lord Mayor established the Short Stay Accommodation Taskforce in 2023 to review Brisbane’s short stay rental sector.
The taskforce handed down their report in 2024 with several recommendations, including the creation of a new local law.
Download the Short Stay Accommodation Taskforce Report.
No. It will help balance the need for short stay accommodation and ensuring our suburbs continue to be great places to live by regulating how short stay properties are managed.
Some operators may need both. See is a development approval required for options to contact Council and discuss your specific requirements.
Properties used for short stay accommodation are charged higher rates (Transitory Accommodation rates) because they’re being used as a business.
This is separate to the proposed local law, which aims to strike the right balance between the need for short stay accommodation and ensuring our suburbs continue to be great places to live.
A short stay accommodation permit and planning approval may be required to operate, even if you are paying transitory accommodation rates.
If you’re unsure how this applies to your property, visit how rates are calculated.
It is proposed to commence from 1 July 2026. Permits would be required from the commencement of the law.
Permit holders are required to include their permit number in any advertisements for the property. Permit holder information will not be available through a publicly accessible database.
If you contact Council about a short stay property, we will check whether the property has a permit. If it does not, Council may investigate whether the property is operating unlawfully without a permit.
Contact Queensland Police Service for immediate disturbances.
Residents can report amenity issues by phoning Council 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on 07 3403 8888.
No. Properties with 24/7 on-site management are exempt.
To meet this exemption, the property must have an on-site manager available at all times. The manager’s contact details must be clearly displayed both online and at the property in a publicly accessible location, so that residents can report amenity issues for resolution.
Council may issue warnings, fines or in very serious cases, prosecution. Repeated breaches can lead to permit suspension or revocation.