Booking short-term rental accommodation

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Consumer

Short-term rental accommodation (STRA) has increased in popularity in recent years. Homeowners want to make money by renting out a room or property to guests. Meanwhile holiday-makers and business travellers are looking for alternatives to traditional accommodation. As a short-term rental guest, it is important to know your rights and protect yourself to ensure you are booking legitimate accommodation.

What is STRA?

Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) refers to the practice of renting out a property (or part of a property) for a relatively short period of time, usually on a nightly or weekly basis.

This type of accommodation is usually booked through online platforms and is popular among travellers and visitors seeking a temporary place to stay for holidays, business trips or other short stays.

STRA includes types of properties that have not been developed for traditional accommodation purposes and can include apartments, houses, or even individual rooms within a host’s residence.

STRA properties are either hosted – where the host lives onsite, or un-hosted – where guests have exclusive use of the premises.

Short-term rental guests consumer rights

Many short-term rental hosts advertise on a sharing economy platform. The sharing economy is an online marketplace run by platform operators which connects consumers with people who have goods or services to sell, hire, rent or lease. Platform operators provide administrative functions, such as facilitating payment and managing the platform through the use of peer reviews.

It is important to remember that your consumer rights are the same if you hire goods or buy services online. Your rights are the same if you use an app or sharing platform, or if you book directly with the provider. Read more about your consumer guarantees on the Australian Consumer Law website.

Before booking a short-term rental via an app or sharing platform, read the platform’s terms and conditions and ensure you understand the complaint management process, if they have one. Don't forget, you have consumer rights and might be able to cancel the contract and obtain a refund if things go wrong.

If you have a problem with a product or service you purchased from an online platform, follow these steps to help resolve the issue:

  • Speak to the seller or service provider.
  • Contact the platform through their internal dispute resolution process, if they have one.
  • Write a factual customer review and rate the trader on the platform.

  • Lodge a complaint with Consumer Protection if the matter cannot be resolved with the platform and/or trader first.

Visit Consumer Protection’s The Sharing Economy for Consumers page for more information.

Fake holiday accommodation websites

WA ScamNet profiles the most prevalent scams targeting Western Australians and provides information on different types of scams, how to recognise scams, and what to do if you have received a scam. It also provides links to other useful websites.

WA ScamNet have received reports from consumers who lost money after purchasing cheap holiday accommodation.

To read more on Fake holiday accommodation websites visit the WA ScamNet website.

Protect yourself

  • Be alert to unsolicited offers. While some offers may be legitimate, sometimes they are scams and can be very difficult to identify – it’s always best to check independently every time.
  • Verify the offer. Always check whether an offer is genuine, even those passed on from people you know. Contact the relevant provider using contact details you get from a phone book or independent online search. You can also use the STRA Register search to search if a short-term rental property address has been registered and whether a STRA registration number is a valid, current registration number and in which suburb the property is registered. Access the STRA Register search - Register search (www.wa.gov.au)
  • Avoid links and numbers that appear in an offer – these can direct you to fake websites. If you get an email or call supposedly from a well-known company, look up the details yourself to check they are correct.
  • Take your time. Many scams will claim the offer is limited to create a sense of urgency. Don’t be rushed into handing over your personal information.
  • Consider your privacy. Only provide information such as Medicare numbers and credit card security codes to organisations you can trust. Requests of this nature should ring alarm bells.
  • Report. If you think you have provided your account details to a scammer, contact your financial institution immediately.

Short-term rental accommodation registration scheme

The Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) register is an initiative of the Western Australian (WA) Government through the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024 to gather information on the STRA sector in WA. This information is needed to ensure that we have a clear, information based, picture of the sector thereby enabling data driven decision making. STRA refers to the practice of renting out a property (or part of a property) for a relatively short period of time, usually on a nightly or weekly basis.

Under the registration system, providers of short-term rental accommodation within Western Australia will be required to register their property to operate and advertise, including on online booking platforms.

The aims of the short-term rental accommodation registration scheme are to:

  • assist the State and local governments to obtain a better understanding of the short-term accommodation sector in Western Australia leading to more informed policy and regulatory responses;
  • provide the community with information about what short-term rental accommodation exists in their area; and
  • ensure providers are aware of local laws and planning controls. 

The Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024 was passed in April 2024. The STRA register opened on 1 July 2024, with registration of STRA premises becoming mandatory from 1 January 2025.

STRA Register search

From 1 January 2025, providers of short-term rental accommodation within Western Australia will be required to register their property and their STRA registration number will need to be displayed in a conspicuous (readily visible) manner on the advertisement for the STRA property. The STRA Register search lets you search for a specific address to determine if that address has been registered as Short-Term Rental Accommodation with the WA State Government. You will not be given contact details for the owner or manager; you will only find out if they are registered.

In addition, you can search a specific STRA registration number to find whether it is a valid, current registration number and in which suburb the property is registered. Again, you will not be given contact details for the owner or manager.

Access the STRA Register search - Register search (www.wa.gov.au)

For queries relating to the registration scheme contact Consumer Protection by email or call 1300 30 40 54.

 

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