Long-term lease or short stay? How to choose for your Byron Bay home

It's the question we're asked most by Byron Bay and Northern Rivers owners: will my home earn more as a long-term rental or as a short stay? There's no single answer. It depends on the home, where it is, the rules that apply to it and how involved you want to be.

We manage both, so here's how we help owners think it through.

Start with the rules

Since September 2024, most non-hosted short stays in Byron Shire have been capped at 60 days a year. Parts of Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads are exempt and can be let year-round, and hosted stays, where you live on the property while guests stay, have no day cap. Every short-stay home also needs to be on the NSW short-term rental register and meet the fire safety standard.

So before anything else, we check where your home sits. For many homes outside the exempt areas, the cap makes the decision on its own.

Long-term lease: steady and simple

A long-term lease gives you a reliable weekly income, lower running costs and far less wear and tear. There's no furnishing, cleaning or linen between guests, and your home is cared for by people who live in it. For owners who want their property to work quietly in the background, this is usually the right fit.

Short stay: higher potential, more moving parts

A short stay can earn more in peak season, and it lets you enjoy the home yourself between bookings. But the income is less predictable, and it comes with more costs: furnishing and styling, cleaning and linen after every stay, utilities, platform fees and more frequent maintenance. Occupancy across the whole year matters more than the nightly rate.

Questions we ask every owner

• Where is the home? Inside an exempt area, outside it, or on a property where you could host?
• Do you want to use it yourself? A short stay can work around your own holidays. A lease can't.
• How hands-off do you want to be? Short stays need constant attention. A good lease needs far less.
• What suits the home? Some homes are made for holidays. Others are family homes that tenants will love for years.

See the numbers side by side

Because we manage both long-term leases and short stays, we have no reason to push you one way. We'll look at your home, the rules that apply to it and what similar homes are achieving, then show you both options side by side so you can decide with confidence.

Short-stay rules: Byron Shire Council. Rules can change, so we confirm the current position for every home.

← Back to the Journal