No resource consent needed for renting holiday homes under National

National will amend the Resource Management Act to stop councils from requiring resource consents for the short-term renting-out of holiday homes or baches, says National’s Local Government spokesman, Nick Smith.

This policy announcement follows a Queenstown Lakes District Council requirement of a resource consent for anyone renting out their holiday home for less than three months. A resource consent costs between $800 and $1400.

Last month the Government endorsed the policy.

Dr Smith says this is big brother bureaucracy gone mad.

“Requiring a family to get permission from the council to rent out their bach is an attack on basic property rights.

“Kiwis’ homes are their castles and they should be able to rent to whom they choose for as long as they choose.

“There are huge costs associated with maintaining a holiday home. If an owner can offset these costs by renting the place out for a few weeks a year, good on them.”

National will move an amendment to resource management legislation, which is currently before Parliament, to prohibit councils from requiring resource consent for short-term tenanting.

“We will be seeking support from all parties in the current Parliament to try and get this legislated for before the election. If we do not get that support, a National Government will make the change after the election,” says Dr Smith.

“This is just another example of the serious problems with the Resource Management Act. Controlling how holiday homes can be rented has far more to do with social engineering and the culture of envy than with managing the effects on the environment.”

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