Key Decisions Ahead on Rentals and Airport Routes for Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast Regional Council will vote July 18 on proposed caps for short-term rentals and a separate August motion on airport route funding.

The two items arrive together because visitor numbers and new residents have both climbed sharply since the pandemic, pushing housing availability and infrastructure use in coastal suburbs.

Maroochydore and Birtinya sites in focus

Proposed rental limits would apply first to streets around the Maroochydore CBD redevelopment on First Avenue and to units within two kilometres of Sunshine Coast University Hospital in Birtinya, where staff housing demand has risen with the recent ward expansion.

Airport planners are also weighing extra federal funding for terminal upgrades that would support direct flights from Singapore and Tokyo, a step that could add 180,000 passengers a year once routes open in 2027.

Council records show 2,850 active short-term rental listings across the region in June 2026, up 38 percent from the same month in 2024, while average nightly rates sit at $295 in peak periods.

Timeline for submissions and votes

Residents can lodge feedback on the rental rules through the council website until July 25, after which staff will present revised wording for the July 18 meeting at the Caloundra Civic Centre.

The airport route decision will follow at the August 22 ordinary meeting, giving operators time to finalise airline agreements before the next federal budget round in October.

Property owners in affected zones should check the planning scheme maps now and attend the July 15 community briefing at Maroochydore Library to see how the draft caps would apply to their addresses.