South Australia's Short Stay Register: What Airbnb Owners Need To Know
On Thursday 17 September 2026 the South Australian Government opened consultation on a statewide Short Stay Accommodation Register, a Code of Conduct and a set of related reforms for every Airbnb, Stayz and other short-stay property in the state. Submissions close on Friday 30 October 2026. This guide explains what is in the discussion paper, what is not, and what an owner or buyer should do next.
Key Takeaway
South Australia is moving from one of the least regulated short-stay states to a registration model like New South Wales and Western Australia: mandatory registration of every short-stay property, platforms checking registration before a listing goes live, a registration fee plus a council-collected annual return fee, a Code of Conduct, penalties for unregistered listings and a 6 to 12 month transition. There is no day cap, no levy and no start date in the paper.
The Dates That Matter
Consultation opened 9.30 am Thursday 17 September 2026 and closes 5.00 pm Friday 30 October 2026. Legislation has not been introduced, so nobody has to register yet.
What To Do This Month
Use the consultation window well, and get your own property ready for a registered market.
1Read the paper: It is nine pages and every proposed requirement is in it.
2Check your council: Councils are proposed to collect the fee and may set their own rates and charges for short-stay use.
3Document your operation: Owner details, hosted or non-hosted use, minimum housing standards evidence.
4Model the cost: Add an assumed registration fee and annual return to your numbers and see how little it moves them.
5Make a submission by 30 October: Answer the questions that affect you most, with evidence.
What South Australia Announced On 17 September 2026
Consumer and Business Services (CBS), the regulator that already administers South Australia's tenancy laws, released a discussion paper titled Short Stay Accommodation Register and opened a public consultation through the YourSAy portal. Media coverage on 17 September quoted the Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Michael Brown, confirming that the state will establish a statewide register for short-stay properties listed on platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz.
The paper's own words are direct about intent. It says the register and related reforms are "being introduced to ensure a legitimate future for the SSA sector through greater regulatory oversight and enable levers for government to address long-term rental supply imbalances with a targeted evidence-based approach."
Two words stand out: "legitimate", because the government is describing a sector it intends to keep, and "levers", because the register is designed to give the state data it does not currently have.
The consultation at a glance
Opened Thursday 17 September 2026, 9.30 am. Closes Friday 30 October 2026, 5.00 pm. Submissions go through the YourSAy survey at yoursay.sa.gov.au/short-stay-accommodation-register or by email to CBSReforms@sa.gov.au. Submissions may be published unless you mark them confidential and explain why.
Why Now: The Road From A Parliamentary Inquiry To A Register
The discussion paper traces the reform back to A Better Deal for Renters, the National Cabinet initiative announced in August 2023 in response to low vacancy rates, fast rent increases and inconsistent tenancy rules between states. South Australia has already delivered several of those reforms, including a ban on rent bidding, rent increases limited to once a year and minimum housing standards.
Short-stay accommodation was the next item. South Australia ran a parliamentary inquiry into the sector, and a 2025 Select Committee recommended that a register be established. The paper lists the inquiry's reform directions as:
A statewide registration schemeThe core recommendation, now the subject of this consultation.
Mandatory safety standardsMinimum standards a property must meet before it can be let to guests.
A code of conductExpected behaviour for hosts and guests, with a complaints pathway.
Registration or licensing feesA cost of doing business that funds the scheme's administration.
Better data and transparencyThe inquiry found there was no reliable central count of active short-stay properties or occupancy.
Stronger compliance powers, and incentivesEnforcement tools, plus "consideration of incentives to return properties to the long-term rental market."
The paper also records the other side of the ledger: short-stay properties support South Australia's Tourism Strategy goal of $12.8 billion in visitor expenditure by 2030, and the stated aim is "to better balance the housing needs of the people of South Australia with the benefits that tourism brings to the state." It is a balancing document, not an anti-Airbnb document.
What The Register Would Require From Every Host
The proposal is that all short-stay properties in South Australia must be registered, that registrations must be renewed to stay current, and that "before properties can be advertised for use as SSA, host platforms will need to ensure that the property has been correctly registered." That mirrors New South Wales and Western Australia, where a listing without a valid registration number is not supposed to appear on Airbnb or Stayz at all.
When applying, individuals and companies would need to supply the following for each property:
Host name and addressWho actually operates the property, which may be a manager rather than the owner.
Owner contact detailsThe property owner is identified separately from the host.
Property address and typeThe address and the type of residential accommodation, for example house, unit or granny flat.
Hosted or non-hosted useThis distinction is the basis for caps in other states, so answer it carefully.
Minimum housing standardsEvidence the property meets the standards long-term rentals already meet.
Supporting documentationAny relevant paperwork requested at registration or renewal.
The paper also flags two possible extensions: platforms providing data on the properties they advertise, and owners providing "annual reports on property usage and revenue." Neither is firm yet, but both show which way the data conversation is heading.
Certain information would be public on a CBS online register, described as "a consumer protection and verification tool" rather than a directory or advertising platform.
Fees, Councils And The Annual Return
Most owners will want a dollar figure here, and the paper does not give one. What it does say is specific enough to plan around.
Registering a new short-stay property "will attract an application and registration fee". After that, relevant individuals and organisations "will need to complete an annual return and pay an annual return fee to maintain their property's registration." The money is intended to cover the cost of running the register and related activities.
The proposed collector is your local council. The paper says the annual registration fee "is intended to be set and collected by councils, within a range determined by the Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs", with the fee structure to be worked out as the reform progresses. It also warns that fees "could be revised" if future policy changes add compliance work.
The council power that deserves the most attention
On registration, "councils will have the option to apply their own land use codes for SSA properties, and to determine rates and charges to be imposed." The paper proposes amending the Local Government (General) Regulations 2013 to add short-stay accommodation as a separate land use category. That is the same mechanism Brisbane City Council and Hobart have used to charge higher rates on short-stay properties, and the paper cites both by name in its interstate table.
So the cost picture has three layers: a one-off registration fee, an annual return fee set by the council within a ministerial range, and, at each council's discretion, a different rating category. The first two are modest in every state that has them. The third is the one to model with a margin.
The Code Of Conduct And Who Enforces What
The paper says the new provisions "would also allow for the introduction of a Code of Conduct" setting out "the standards, principles, and expected behaviours of SSA owners and users." The concerns it wants the Code to address are the familiar ones: noise, cleanliness and how properties are used. The government notes it has heard about "frequent loud gatherings, amplified noise, and unreasonable interference with the use or enjoyment of land."
Enforcement would be shared. If a Code is introduced, "councils will manage complaints relating to alleged breaches of the Code, and CBS will undertake compliance activities relating to SSA registration." CBS says it will take an education-first approach during the transition period and investigate reported breaches after that.
Penalties are explicit for one thing: "hosts and owners who make their dwelling available for SSA but do not register the dwelling on the SSA Register." The amounts are not stated.
Airbnb's own submission to the South Australian inquiry backed a mandatory statewide registration scheme with a code of conduct linked to it. The platform and the state are pulling in the same direction on this point; the argument is about caps, not registers.
Timeline: What Is Known And What Is Not
The paper is candid that South Australia has no current legislation allowing a registration scheme, so an Act or amendments will have to pass Parliament first. No commencement date has been given, and the paper does not say when a Bill will be introduced.
What it does commit to is a soft landing: "a transitional period of 6-12 months following commencement of the SSA Register", with guidance, support materials and implementation timelines from CBS along the way.
117 September 2026: Discussion paper released, consultation opens.
230 October 2026: Submissions close at 5.00 pm.
3Date not set: Government response, drafting and a Bill through Parliament.
4Date not set: Register commences; platforms begin checking registration.
56-12 months after commencement: Proposed transition window closes; education-first period ends.
For a buyer, the practical reading is that a property bought in South Australia in the next year will very likely need to be registered during its first two years of operation. Build that into the plan.
How South Australia Would Compare With The Other States
The paper includes its own table of interstate arrangements, which shows the models the South Australian Government is looking at. Summarised, with NSW fee figures from the NSW Planning Portal:
New South WalesMandatory statewide register on the NSW Planning Portal: $65 to register, $25 a year to renew. A 180-day cap on non-hosted STRA in Greater Sydney, Ballina and parts of Clarence Valley and Muswellbrook; 60 days across most of Byron Shire since 23 September 2024. Mandatory Code of Conduct.
Western AustraliaMandatory statewide register under the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024. Hosts must register before advertising or accepting bookings. Councils may impose caps, but there is no statewide cap. Mandatory Code of Conduct.
VictoriaNo statewide register. A 7.5 per cent short stay levy on bookings since 1 January 2025, alongside a vacant property tax. Regulation otherwise sits with councils.
QueenslandNo statewide register; local regulation. Higher council rates on certain short-stay properties in Brisbane City and the Sunshine Coast.
TasmaniaNo statewide register. Planning schemes and higher rates in some areas such as Hobart, with notification to some councils when a permitted use starts.
South Australia (proposed)Statewide register, platform check before advertising, council-collected annual fee, optional council rating category, Code of Conduct, penalties for unregistered listings. No cap and no levy in the paper.
Read that way, the South Australian proposal sits closest to Western Australia: a register and a code, councils holding local powers, no statewide day limit. The paper says a register "would bring South Australia into alignment with other Australian jurisdictions, such as New South Wales and Western Australia."
What Is Not In The Paper, And What To Watch
It is worth being precise about what the paper does not propose, because the words "Airbnb crackdown" will be attached to it regardless.
No day capNothing in the paper limits the nights a non-hosted property can be let. Hosted versus non-hosted is recorded, not restricted.
No levyNo Victorian-style booking levy. The costs are a registration fee, an annual return fee and whatever a council does with rates.
Three things to watch. The paper says the changes "will provide flexibility for future policies to be pursued", and you cannot cap what you cannot count. The idea of annual reporting on "property usage and revenue" would let a future government see exactly how many nights a property is let. And the council rating power is immediate and local: two neighbouring councils could treat the same property quite differently.
None of this is a reason to avoid South Australia. It is a reason to buy with the rules in mind, keep good records from day one and understand a council's attitude before you sign a contract.
If You Already Run A Short-Stay Property In South Australia
Nothing changes today: there is no register to join until legislation passes and the register commences, and a 6 to 12 month transition is proposed after that. What you can do now is get ahead of the paperwork, because every item on the proposed list is something a well-run property should already have to hand.
1Settle who the host is: Decide who is named as host and who as owner if a manager or co-host operates the property.
2Classify the use honestly: Hosted (you live there) or non-hosted (you do not). Record it and keep the listing consistent with it.
3Check minimum housing standards: Compare your property against the standards long-term rentals already meet and fix any gaps.
4Confirm your council's position: Ask whether it applies, or plans to apply, a separate rating category to short-stay properties.
5Tidy the neighbour side: Clear noise and party rules, a visible complaints contact and a fast local responder.
6Keep usage and revenue records: Monthly nights let, income and expenses, in case annual reporting is adopted and because your accountant needs them anyway.
The owners who worry most about registers are usually the ones without records, without a local responder and without a plan for neighbours. Fix those three things and a register becomes paperwork, and a register with platform enforcement thins out the competition that will not do it.
If You Are Thinking Of Buying A Short-Stay Property In South Australia
South Australia has attracted interstate short-stay investors partly because of entry prices and partly because there was almost nothing to register. The second reason is going away; the first is not, and a registered market is a more predictable one to invest in than a market waiting for its rules. Here is how we would fold the announcement into due diligence.
Council firstUnderstand the council's rating policy, its planning approach to tourist accommodation and its likely role as fee collector.
Strata secondFor an apartment, read the by-laws. A register does not override a body corporate that restricts short-stay use.
Compliance line in the budgetPut an assumed fee, annual return and rates margin into the model now, so the decision does not depend on the final figures.
Fallback testedCheck the property also works as a long-term rental. A short-stay property that can always fall back to a lease is a safer asset in any regulatory climate.
A buyers agent who specialises in short-stay property will already be asking these questions of every South Australian council. The rules are a research task, not a reason to stay out.
The Numbers: How Much Does A Register Actually Change?
The figures below are illustrative: not a forecast, not a specific property, and with assumed compliance costs because South Australia has not published its fees. The point is to show the scale of a registration scheme against the scale of a short-stay income.
Take an illustrative three-bedroom house in a well-located Adelaide suburb. As a long-term rental it lets at $620 a week, or $32,240 a year. As a well-run short-stay property it averages $265 a night at 62 per cent occupancy, or roughly $59,900 a year in gross booking income before platform fees, cleaning, utilities and management.
Long-term rental (illustrative)$32,240 gross. Less agent fees at 8 per cent and two weeks' vacancy: about $28,400 before loan and holding costs.
Short-stay, no register (illustrative)$59,900 gross. Less platform fees, cleaning recovered largely through guest charges, utilities, consumables, maintenance and full-service management: about $38,500 before loan and holding costs.
Short-stay, with an assumed register (illustrative)Same property, with an assumed $300 annual return fee and an assumed $600 a year of extra council rates: about $37,600 before loan and holding costs.
On those assumptions the register costs around $900 a year, about 1.5 per cent of gross short-stay income or three to four nights' bookings, and the gap over the long-term result is still more than $9,000 a year. A much heavier council rating category would narrow the gap, and in a poorly located or poorly run property it could close, which is why council research belongs at the front of the process.
What the example is not saying
It is not saying every short-stay property beats every long-term rental. A long-term rental is a good, low-effort investment and for some suburbs and owners it is the better choice. The example shows that a registration fee and annual return are a small line item, and the decision still turns on location, demand, setup and management.
This article is general information only. It does not take your circumstances into account. Get licensed financial, tax, legal and lending advice before acting on anything here.
How To Make A Submission That Counts By 30 October
The paper asks twelve questions and you do not need to answer them all. Reasoning, examples and evidence carry more weight than a general objection. These are the questions where an operator's perspective is most useful.
1Q1, public register: Say whether property-level details should be public or only disciplinary exclusions, and why. Consider privacy for hosted properties.
2Q2, the definition: Suggest what should and should not count, for example hosted rooms, farm stays or a holiday house let a few weeks a year.
3Q3 and Q5, achievability: Explain what the registration list costs you in time and whether any item is a barrier for a small operator.
4Q4, council oversight: Say whether councils or CBS should run registration and renewals, and why consistency between councils matters.
5Q6 to Q8, the Code: Describe the guest behaviour and neighbour issues you already manage and how a code could help.
6Q9 and Q10, transition: Argue for the length of transition you need and for education before penalties.
7Q12, anything else: Raise fee transparency, a consistent rating approach and publication of aggregate data.
Submit through the YourSAy survey or by email to CBSReforms@sa.gov.au before 5.00 pm on Friday 30 October 2026. Include the question numbers you are responding to. Industry bodies usually lodge their own submissions, but an individual owner's evidence is still valuable.
The Bigger Picture: Every State Is Choosing Its Model
South Australia's announcement is the latest move in a national pattern, and it helps to see the whole board before deciding where to buy.
New South Wales reviewed its STRA framework in early 2024 and, as at late August 2026, the Department of Planning said it was still "in the process of finalising" that review. In April 2026 the City of Sydney voted to investigate bans on short-term rentals in particular suburbs or where rental vacancy falls below 3 per cent, and Homelessness NSW has proposed a 7.5 per cent levy on platforms. None of these is law today.
What this means for a buyer choosing a state
Every state either has a framework or is building one. A register with no cap (Western Australia, and South Australia as proposed) is generally kinder to a non-hosted, year-round property than a 60 or 180-day cap, while a booking levy (Victoria) costs more in a high-revenue property than a flat fee. Read the rule, then run the numbers.
The constant across every state is that hosts who register, meet standards and manage neighbours well are the ones each framework is designed to keep.
Your Next 30 Days: A Checklist For South Australian Owners And Buyers
1Download the discussion paper from the YourSAy page and read all nine pages, including the interstate table.
2Write down your property's registration facts: host, owner, address, type, hosted or non-hosted, standards evidence.
3Call your council and ask about rating categories and its view on collecting a short-stay fee.
4Add a compliance line to your cash-flow model with an assumed fee, annual return and a rates margin, and see the result against a long-term lease.
5Review your house rules and neighbour plan against the noise and party concerns named in the paper.
6If buying, brief your buyers agent to research council attitudes and strata by-laws for every shortlisted property.
7Lodge a submission before 5.00 pm on Friday 30 October 2026.
If you want a starting point for the modelling, the WTP resources and calculators page has the tools we use in the first conversation with a client.
Related Reading On The WTP Blog
The register is one input into a buying or hosting decision. These guides cover the rest.
Rate Rises And Your Airbnb: How To Stress-Test Your Numbers NowBreak-even occupancy ahead of the Reserve Bank's 29 September 2026 decision. Add the compliance line from this article to that model.
How to Find the Best Airbnb Investment Locations in AustraliaThe demand, seasonality and council research method that now needs a South Australian register column.
When Should Property Investors Shift From Long-Term Rentals to Short-Term Rentals?The honest comparison between the two strategies, which the illustrative example above builds on.
Where Wealth Through Property Fits
Airbnb with everything: the rules are a research task, and research is what we do before, during and after a purchase.
Buying in a regulated market
Council rating policies, strata by-laws, minimum standards, demand data and realistic income modelling, done before you make an offer in South Australia or any other state.
Full-service management that handles registration, renewals, records, house rules, neighbour contact and guest behaviour, so a Code of Conduct is already met.
Pricing, minimum stays and listing optimisation that capture Adelaide's event peaks and regional seasons, so a registration fee stays a rounding error.
Own or want to buy a short-stay property in South Australia?Book a 15-minute call to talk through what the proposed register means for your property or your shortlist, and what to put in your submission before 30 October.
FAQs About The South Australia Short Stay Accommodation Register
Do I have to register my Airbnb in South Australia now?
No. As at 22 September 2026 the register is a proposal open for consultation until 30 October 2026. Legislation must pass Parliament, a start date must be set and a 6 to 12 month transition is proposed after that. Check the CBS and YourSAy pages for the current status.
What will registration cost in South Australia?
The paper proposes an application and registration fee and an annual return fee, set and collected by councils within a range determined by the Minister. No dollar amounts have been published. For comparison, New South Wales charges $65 to register and $25 a year to renew.
Is South Australia introducing a cap on Airbnb nights?
Not in this paper. There is no day cap and no booking levy proposed. The paper says the reforms provide flexibility for future policies, so the position could change, but nothing in the current proposal limits nights.
Will Airbnb and Stayz remove unregistered South Australian listings?
The paper proposes that platforms must ensure a property is registered before it can be advertised, as in New South Wales and Western Australia. Penalties are also proposed for hosts and owners who let an unregistered dwelling.
What is the Short Stay Accommodation Code of Conduct?
A proposed set of standards and expected behaviours for short-stay owners and guests, aimed at noise, cleanliness and how properties are used. Councils would handle Code complaints and CBS would handle registration compliance.
Can my council charge me higher rates for a short-stay property?
The paper proposes that, on registration, councils may apply their own land use codes to short-stay properties and determine the rates and charges to be imposed. Brisbane City and Hobart already use a rating approach. Ask your council directly about its intentions.
How does the South Australian proposal compare with NSW and WA?
It is closest to Western Australia: a statewide register, a code of conduct and no statewide cap. New South Wales adds a 180-day cap on non-hosted properties in Greater Sydney and some other areas and 60 days in most of Byron Shire. Victoria has no register but a 7.5 per cent booking levy.
Should I still buy a short-term rental in Adelaide or regional South Australia?
A register does not change the fundamentals: location, demand, seasonality, setup and management. It adds a small compliance cost and a council research task. Model an assumed fee and rates margin, choose a property that also works as a long-term rental, and get licensed advice on your own position.
How do I make a submission on the South Australian short stay register?
Complete the survey at yoursay.sa.gov.au/short-stay-accommodation-register or email CBSReforms@sa.gov.au before 5.00 pm on Friday 30 October 2026. Reference the question numbers you are answering, give reasons and evidence, and mark the submission confidential if you do not want it published.
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