Get started now! Brisbane: Council Rules & BNB Hosting (The Best Guide)

What are the requirements for running an Airbnb as a home-based business in Brisbane?

The Brisbane City Council Home-based Business Code in section 9.3.10.1 states that:

“Bed and breakfast is the ancillary use of a dwelling providing tourist and visitor short-term accommodation on a commercial basis. Bed and breakfast facilities are operated and maintained by the resident host and guests are generally provided with breakfast. A bed and breakfast does not include short-term accommodation or rooming accommodation.”

Below we will discuss the applicable sections of the Home-based Business code that specifically relate to operating your own bed and breakfast from home. 

“PO1. Development is subordinate in size and function and is an inconspicuous component of the primary use of the dwelling as a permanent residence.”

1. The bed and breakfast may be anywhere on the premises, and does not have to be within the main structure, and can be within a suitable external structure such as a shed, granny flat, or anywhere else on the property. 
2. Must only have a maximum of 1 non-resident employee on the premises at once for a normal dwelling house, or for a dual-key or multiple dwelling has no non-resident employee on the premises. 
3. The business must be conducted by one of the permanent residents that live on the property, which can be in a separate dwelling, such as a granny flat or the main house. 
4. Bed and breakfasts and farm stays do not need to adhere to the 50m2 total space limit. 
5. Nothing can be stored outside. 

“PO2. Development ensures that the hours of operation for the home-based business are controlled so that the use does not adversely impact the amenity of a nearby sensitive use.”

1. There are no time restrictions for bed and breakfasts in Brisbane. However, we recommend keeping to the standard check in and check out times whenever possible to avoid interrupting your neighbours.
   1. Happy neighbours are good neighbours! Our suggestions are check-in no later than 5PM and check-out no earlier than 9AM.
   2. Whenever possible we find automated check-in to be easiest for everyone involved, especially with smart locks and access codes. 

“PO3 Development is of a nature and scale which does not result in excessive noise emissions that meet specified criteria.” 

1. There are no limits on where your bed and breakfast guests can be, so they can use the whole property, and do not have to stay inside. 
2. Delivery vehicles may only delivery between 8AM to 6PM, Monday to Saturday. 
3. Your bed and breakfast must not generate audible noise and create a disturbance in the area, which is defined as a sensitive use zone, ie. residential area, apartment building, or neighborhood. 

“PO4. Development generates no greater load upon utilities servicing the site than would reasonably arise from a residential use on the site.”

1. Can not use power in excess of total connected load of 2.0KW. 
2. Does not use excessive amounts of water in excess of 3L per day per square meter of land. Your BNB should easily be under this limit. 
3. If your property is in an area that is not serviced by town water or sewerage, your bed and breakfast must not exceed the capabilities of your current setup to handle sewerage, grey water and clean water. 

“PO5. Development:

1. generates vehicular and pedestrian traffic of a volume no greater than reasonably expected in the surrounding residential area;
2. only uses and has any visits by, vehicle types reasonably expected in the surrounding residential area.”

1. Your bed and breakfast must not increase the volume of local traffic past what is reasonably expected of the area it is in. 
2. Guests must only use vehicles that match that of the residential area your bed and breakfast is in. 
3. Your guests may wait at or near the premises, but no more than 1 employee may wait at any time. 
4. Bed and breakfasts may have more than 1 guest vehicle parked at the premises at any time, but not more than 1 employee vehicle. 

“PO6. Development must not compromise the safety of the neighbourhood and its residents.”

1. The code makes no mention of people and rather refers to the storage of dangerous goods, which are not applicable to a bed and breakfast operating as a home business. 

“PO9. Development providing bed and breakfast or farm stay provides acceptable levels of privacy and amenity for residents in adjoining or nearby dwellings.”

1. No more than 6 guests may be staying at your property at any one time. 
2. The total number of people on the property, including residents, must not exceed 10. 
3. Meals must be served to overnight guests only. 

“PO10. Development ensures paying guests are accommodated for a short-term stay and the dwelling is not the usual residence of the guest.”

1. Unfortunately, bed and breakfast guests can stay for no longer than 14 days.
   1. With the recent popularity of long-term stays, this might be a little bit inconvenient for some Hosts. However, long-term stays sometimes come with their own issues. Guests often expect a long-stay discount, and you need to get them to sign a lease, as well as take a security deposit. However, you won’t need to clean as often – once every 2 weeks at minimum.

“PO11 Development ensures that effluent disposal and treatment minimise odour and impacts on the natural environment.”

1. If your property does not use the town sewerage setup, then you need to be set up to handle any excess grey water or sewerage that may be in addition to what the normal use of the property requires.