Community & Business
16 November, 2022
No rates increase for rental homes
BOTH Mareeba Shire Council and Tablelands Regional Council have assured locals they will not be increasing rates for rental properties after Cairns proposed a possible 15 to 40 per cent increase in rental rates.
Cairns Regional Council recently wrote to landlords and advised them of a potential rate hike of up to 40 per cent for non-principal places of residence such as rentals and Airbnbs.
Unlike Cairns, Mareeba and Atherton have a lower amount of both rental properties and Airbnbs and both Mareeba Shire Council and Tablelands Regional Council said they will not be considering raising rental rates.
“Mareeba Shire Council is not considering increasing the rates on rental properties and non-primary places of residence,” Mareeba Mayor Angela Toppin said.
“My understanding is that this is being considered by Cairns Regional Council.
“They have numerous properties in their Council listed on accommodation websites, for example, Airbnb, that lists properties available for short-term stays.
“The number of these types of properties in our shire is low and therefore we are not considering a new rateable category.”
Tablelands Mayor Rod Marti said the rates are currently not separated between owner occupied and non-principal place of residence.
“We don’t currently separate owner occupied and non-principal place of residence for rating purposes and have no plans to change this,” he said.
