1. Do you need an Airbnb licence in NSW?

For most owners, the honest answer is: there is not usually one single “Airbnb licence” you apply for statewide. Instead, NSW regulates short-term letting through a mix of state planning rules, mandatory registration, safety standards, and strata rules.

If you want a fast way to sanity-check your compliance, ask yourself:

• Is this hosted (you live there during stays) or non-hosted (entire home while you’re away)?
• Is it in a strata building (apartment) with by-laws?
• Is it in an area with a night cap for non-hosted letting?

In practice, most hosts should start with NSW Planning Portal guidance on short-term rental accommodation, because it explains registration, caps and where stricter local limits apply.

Not sure whether your place is worth hosting once you factor in caps and costs?

2. The NSW STRA framework: what it covers

2.1 Hosted vs non-hosted matters

NSW treats hosted and non-hosted differently:

• Hosted is usually the lower-friction model because you are living in the home while guests are there.
• Non-hosted is where most restrictions, strata disputes and cap issues show up, especially in high-demand areas.

The planning rules also treat longer stays differently. For example, some caps do not apply to bookings of 21 nights or more, so it’s worth knowing how your booking pattern affects compliance.

2.2 Registration is the first real “must-do” for most hosts

If you’re offering STRA in NSW, you’ll generally need to register the property and renew it. The cleanest place to link and confirm the current requirements is NSW STRA register information (what it covers, fees, renewal, and what a platform may ask you to show).

Practical tip: do this early. Registration is the kind of thing platforms, insurers, strata managers, and councils may ask about when something goes wrong.

2.3 Conduct rules apply to hosts, guests and platforms

Even if your set-up is compliant on paper, complaints are where hosting becomes real. NSW has a mandatory conduct framework that covers behaviour, dispute pathways and enforcement.

When you set up your house rules and guest messaging, use Code of Conduct for the short-term rental accommodation industry as your baseline, because that’s what noise and nuisance disputes are judged against.

If you’re taking compliance seriously, the next step is making the numbers realistic.

3. Planning rules and night caps (including the 180-day rule)

3.1 The 180-day cap is real, but it’s not “everywhere”

A common myth is that NSW has a simple universal cap. It does not work like that.

In parts of Greater Sydney and some nominated regional areas, non-hosted short-term letting can be capped at 180 nights per year. Some locations can be stricter still, so check the official list rather than relying on social posts or old articles. The most reliable reference point is NSW Planning Portal guidance on short-term rental accommodation, which sets out where caps apply and any local variations.

3.2 Byron Bay and other stricter areas

Some regions have tighter limits than the typical 180-night rule. If you’re near Byron Bay, do not assume the “standard” NSW cap applies. Confirm your local limit using NSW Planning Portal guidance on short-term rental accommodation and then sanity-check your address against council information if needed.

3.3 Longer stays may be treated differently

NSW planning rules can treat longer bookings differently from short stays. For example, stays of 21 nights or more can be excluded from the night-cap calculation in some cases. That can materially change whether your model is viable if you’re non-hosted in a capped area.

If your goal is “whole home, year-round”, this is the section to get right before you invest in furnishings, cleaner relationships and pricing strategy.

4. Strata apartments: what can be restricted

If your property is an apartment, strata is often the make-or-break factor. You can be fully compliant on the planning and registration side and still be blocked, restricted, or operationally constrained by building rules.

4.1 Can strata ban Airbnb in NSW?

In NSW, an owners corporation can adopt by-laws that prohibit certain types of short-term rental use in specific circumstances. The safest way to reference this in your article is to link directly to the legislation, for example Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) section 137A, and then explain it in plain English.

Practical translation: some buildings can prohibit non-hosted short-term letting where the lot is not the host’s principal place of residence. Hosted arrangements are often treated differently.

4.2 What to check before you list

Before you spend money or go live, ask for:

• Current by-laws (not a summary)
• Any recent strata resolutions about short-term letting
• Building rules about access, noise, rubbish, lift use and common areas

If you’re buying, treat this as due diligence. If you’re already an owner, treat it as risk management.

5. Fire safety, set-up and guest safety basics

NSW sets a baseline safety standard for STRA. You’re not trying to build a hotel, but you are expected to have sensible, documented safety basics.

At minimum, align your set-up with Short Term Rental Accommodation Fire Safety Standard, then keep simple evidence (photos, receipts, a checklist) so you can show you took reasonable steps.

Practical set-up checklist (keep it simple):

• Working smoke alarms (placed and maintained correctly)
• Clear exit paths and basic emergency instructions
• Where relevant, appropriate fire-fighting equipment and signage

This is also a trust issue. A home that looks professionally safety-checked gets fewer guest questions, fewer edge-case incidents, and fewer insurer disputes.

6. Running it without complaints (noise, parties, neighbours)

Most hosting failures are not “legal”, they’re operational:

• late-night noise
• extra guests
• parking disruption
• rubbish
• poor communication with neighbours or strata

Set expectations early in your listing and in pre-arrival messages. You’ll also want a “rapid response” playbook: who answers the phone, who can attend, and what you do if rules are breached.

To keep your policy language aligned with how NSW treats disputes, mirror the behaviours and escalation logic in Code of Conduct for the short-term rental accommodation industry.

7. Tax basics for NSW hosts

Tax is not NSW-specific in the same way planning and strata are, but it’s still where many owners get caught out. Keep it simple:

• Assume rental income needs to be declared.
• Keep clean records from day one (platform payouts, cleaning, consumables, maintenance).
• Know whether you are renting part of your home or the whole property, as deductions can differ.

A solid, safe reference point for most hosts is ATO guidance on renting out all or part of your home, because it explains income and deductions in straightforward terms.

Before you commit to furniture and cleaners, sanity-check the income against your costs.

8. FAQ

Do I need an Airbnb licence in NSW?

Usually there is not a single statewide “Airbnb licence”. Most hosts instead need to follow the STRA framework, including registration, safety requirements, and any local caps.

What is STRA registration and do I need a registration number?

In most cases, you should assume you need to register and renew, and you may need to provide a registration reference to platforms or stakeholders. Confirm the current rules via NSW STRA register.

Does the 180-day rule apply to my property?

Not everywhere. It mainly affects non-hosted letting in Greater Sydney and nominated areas, with some stricter local limits. Check NSW Planning Portal guidance on short-term rental accommodation for the current list.

Can strata stop me from hosting on Airbnb?

Strata by-laws can restrict certain types of short-term letting, especially non-hosted arrangements in some scenarios. Link to Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) section 137A and then check your building’s by-laws.

Can I Airbnb a rental in NSW?

You generally need the right to sublet or host under your lease, plus written permission if required. Check your tenancy agreement carefully and get clarity before listing.

What do I actually need for fire safety?

Start with Short Term Rental Accommodation Fire Safety Standard and implement the basics properly, then keep simple evidence that you complied.