Melbourne Attacking Short Stay Apartments
The City of Melbourne Council has issued building orders to 26 owners of Watergate apartments being used for short-term accommodation, demanding the owners undertake works required of a hotel-standard building if they want to continue using their units for serviced apartments.
In April the council wrote to 30 Watergate owners asking them to “show cause” how the use of their apartments was consistent with the Building Code of Australia granting owners until September 27 to respond using consultant building surveyors.
Now the owners have been given until November 24 to comply. However, the council is expecting them to appeal, which would delay any legal action against them.
Serviced apartment owners argue that the council’s demands are designed to put them out of business. They say that the works demanded are impractical and would be too expensive to contemplate. The operators are working towards establishing an association which would be governed by a code of practice to protect residential amenity.
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