South Australia Moves to Register Every Short-Stay Rental

South Australia has released a discussion paper proposing a formal register for short-stay accommodation, following New South Wales and Western Australia, which already run similar schemes. The aim is to close a long-standing data gap: regulators currently have no reliable count of how many Airbnb and Stayz style properties operate in the state, or where they are concentrated.

Key figures

Metric	Value
Consultation deadline	October 30, 2026, 5pm
States with existing registers	NSW, WA (SA proposed as third)
LGAs nationally facing significant short-stay pressure	Approx. 40 to 50
Example host annual short-stay profit	Approx. AUD 45,000 (Mount Gambier)

Statewide or council by council

The paper raises the possibility that individual councils could apply their own land-use codes and set their own registration rates, rather than a single uniform statewide system. That detail has already split industry opinion.

The Short Term Accommodation Association Australia supports registration in principle but wants the approach reconsidered. Executive Director Keiran Craig-Jones called for “one state, one register and one consistent registration system”, warning that council by council rules would create costly duplication for operators.

How hosts and housing advocates see it

Stakeholder	Position
Jenny Bickley, Mount Gambier host	Welcomes removing unlicensed operators, but opposes new fees and publicly listing property addresses, calling it “a severe security risk”
David Galpin, Penola farmer with a luxury short stay	Supports a register to help investors make informed decisions about expanding supply
National Shelter (CEO Jackson Hills)	Accurate data is a precondition for sensible policy; 40 to 50 local government areas nationally report significant short-stay pressure

What it means for operators

South Australia is the next state likely to formalise compliance obligations for short-stay hosts. The outcome of the debate over uniform versus council-level rules will determine how many fees, codes and filings operators with portfolios across several council areas will need to manage. Public consultation closes October 30, 2026 at 5pm.