Mixing Airbnb and long-term tenants in the same property — feasible?
Looking for advice from anyone who's run a hybrid setup like this or knows the rules better than me.
We've got a 5-bed house in Auckland with a large backyard under the Mixed Housing Suburban zone and I'm trying to work out the best way to rent it. The plan would be sleepouts in the backyard for Airbnb plus tenants in the main house. I know there are so many people looking for housing but are in unique circumstances i.e. recently divorced, in-between flats, recently immigrated, and can't afford a full house, so want to see how I can help and whether this combo is workable.
What it could look like:
- Non-Self contained Sleepouts (to be built under schedule 1) at the back for Airbnb guests (accounting for couples, around 5 people max.)
- Airbnb guests would use a bathroom inside the main house (close access point)
- Tenants have their own bathroom and the kitchen in the main house
- Shared driveway, but otherwise the spaces feel pretty separate
- Realistically minimal overlap day to day
- gated house for privacy
Zoning constraints I'm reading:
- Visitor accommodation in Mixed Housing Suburban Zone — 10 person cap
- Boarding house — also 10 person cap
So I'm trying to stay within 10 on the property total. Two structures I'm weighing:
Option 1 — Room-by-room rentals (max 5 tenants) + 5 Airbnb guests. Gets me to 10 but I'm not sure where the line actually sits in Auckland's definition. Called council planners and they said they're not sure either.
Option 2 — Single family tenancy + 5 Airbnb guests in sleepouts.
N.B. Don't want to go into boarding house category as it's more compliance, unless it's worth it?
Risk management I would build in:
- Disclosure to Airbnb guests upfront — shared facilities with other guests etc.
- Adding clause into tenancy agreement with tenants specifying which spaces are not theirs (the Airbnb bathroom, sleepouts) and which are shared
Questions:
- Has anyone actually run this kind of hybrid? Any landmines I'm not seeing?
- Does mixing short-term visitor accommodation with long-term tenancy trigger a different consent category, or can they coexist under the standard activity rules?
- Insurance — does running Airbnb alongside tenancy break standard landlord cover?
- Anything from the tenants' side I should be wary of?
Appreciate any input!