Alternate Accommodations

Introduction

There has been increasing interest in living or staying in places other than your traditional detached house, or a bespoke hotel or motel. These alternate accommodations can be towed caravans or RVs, mobile homes, tiny houses, or months-long stays in a room, unit, or unhosted dwelling.

Staying at, or building, these kinds of alternate accommodations is permitted, but each comes with their respective sets of restrictions.

Caravans & RVs

Typically caravans and RVs stop over at designated camping areas, overnight camping spots, or in caravan parks. In light of the ongoing housing shortage issue, the regulations surrounding temporary stays in areas other than the abovementioned have been updated to be more lenient.

These updated regulations are captured and governed in the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Regulations 1997.

External Link: Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Regulations 1997

Now, a person can camp in a caravan or RV outside of designated camping areas under the following scenarios and durations:

  • On a roadside rest area: Up to 24 consecutive hours.
  • On a road reserve: Up to 24 consecutive hours, provided:
    • it is an emergency, and
    • does not cause a hazard to other road users.
  • On a private property: Up to 5 consecutive nights out of a 28 consecutive day period, provided:
    • they have permission from the owner or have a legal right to occupy the property.
  • On a private property: Up to 24 consecutive months on any property, provided:
    • they have permission from the owner or have a legal right to occupy the property, and
    • have permission from the Shire, and
    • can stay on the land in a safe manner, and
    • have ready access to services (power, clean water, cooking facilities, waste disposal, wastewater disposal), and
    • any other condition the Shire attaches for this stay.

For 24 month stays, the Shire can approve of another 24 months as the current period nears its end so long as all requirements are still met.

Purchasing a vacant lot with the intention of living in a caravan or RV with no plans to construct a proper dwelling will not be approved.

"Tiny Houses"

A "Tiny House" is a term not recognized by legislation for determining the kind of building it is and any relevant regulations applicable.

"Tiny houses" can fall into two categories depending on its features: buildings or caravans.

  • If your tiny house can still be freely towed away then it is governed by the Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds Regulation 1997 as a caravan.
  • If it is to be towed to a site then fixed down permanently then it is governed by planning, building and health legislation and must go through the Development Approval and Building Approval processes as a building (dwelling, ancillary dwelling, or workforce accommodation subclassification depending on its purpose).

It follows that a person cannot camp on someone's land in a tiny house on wheels (aka a caravan) for a lengthy duration without Shire approval, per the Caravans & RVs section above.

For information on Development and Building Approvals, please see the below Shire webpages.

Link: Town Planning & Approvals

Link: Building Services & Approvals

Short-Term Rental Accommodations (STRAs)

Overview

Short-Term Rental Accommodations (STRAs) are dwellings or rooms within a dwelling that an owner (the "STRA operator") can rent out for commercial gain for a short stay, being up to 3 months. The main difference from traditional accommodations such as hotels, motels and caravan parks is that STRAs only come in the form of residential dwellings and are typically on lots zoned residential, general agricultural, or rural residential (zones which support the construction of dwellings for permanent living per the Shire's Local Planning Scheme No. 4).

STRAs can be considered hosted where the owner/operator is on-site, or unhosted where the owner/operator lives elsewhere.

In support of regulation the State has rolled out a state-wide register that all STRA operators must register their properties to. This mandatory requirement has been in effect since 1 January 2025.

Shire's Responsibility

The Shire's responsibility is limited to granting Development Approvals for properties intending to operate as a STRA, if required. For example, converting a dwelling into an unhosted STRA may trigger the need for a Development Approval due to change of land use.

Building Approvals (Building Permits) will be necessary if a new building is to be constructed solely for operating the dwelling as a STRA, which is also a function of the Shire.

Registration of STRAs on to the State Register and fee payment is between the STRA operator and the State Government via their online portal, with no involvement from the Shire.

Additional Information

The Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety has released a lot of guidelines and procedures a STRA owner will need for authorised operation.

External Link: WA Website - STRA Resources

Additional information on the scheme can be read on the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage webpage below.

External Link: DPLH Website - Short-Term Rental Accommodation Planning Regulations

The Act governing STRAs is already In Force.

External Link: Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024