Airbnb owner cries foul as rates bill could jump from $11k to $40k

Aro Valley Airbnb host Emma Reid is crying foul as the Wellington City Council looks to increase her annual rates bill from $11,000 to $40,000.

The council is meeting on Tuesday to lock in a new draft long-term plan to send to public consultation as it deals with a groaning wallet mixed with a need to have funds available to rescue the city after a natural disaster.

The last long-term plan collapsed in late 2024 after the sale of the council’s 34% stake in Wellington Airport, which its financial plans were based on, was overruled in a vote that created new rifts among the already-fractured council.

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For Reid – who has filed a quirky, prop-filled video submission to the council opposing the changes – she said it will mean her rates going from about $11,000 to $40,000 a year and make continuing with Airbnb no longer possible. After expenses her two small Airbnbs made $18,000 to $24,000 a year.

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