Brinn Tomes

Cape Town’s Airbnb Law Isn’t the Problem… The System They’re Building Is.

Everyone’s talking about short-term rental regulation right now.

But here’s what no one is saying out loud…

This isn’t just about Airbnb.

It’s about rates.
It’s about infrastructure.
It’s about fairness.
And yes… it’s about revenue.

And to be clear — regulation is needed.

Hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs operate under commercial structures. Short-term rentals do impact infrastructure, services, and communities. So contributing fairly makes sense.

But here’s where it goes wrong:

The way this is being structured is going to create a massive bottleneck.

More admin.
More delays.
More confusion.
More pressure on a system that’s already stretched.

And all of this… right before local elections.

So the real question is:

Are they building a system that actually works —
or just putting something in place to look like progress?

After 26 years in this industry — building, scaling, and selling businesses in this space, and working with international tech and AI companies — I’ve seen what works.

And this isn’t it.

If this is done wrong, it doesn’t solve the problem.

It creates a snowball for the next council to deal with.

Because short-term rentals are not just properties.

They support cleaners, maintenance teams, tourism operators, and thousands of livelihoods.

Yes — regulate.

Yes — make it fair.

But do it properly.

Because a broken system helps no one.

Cape Town’s proposed short-term rental bylaw… has a massive loophole.

If you go over 50% occupancy → you pay commercial rates.

Sounds fine… until you think about it.

Cape Town already has a low season (May–September).

So what will hosts do?

👉 Close from mid-April to mid-September
👉 Drop below 50% occupancy
👉 Avoid commercial rates completely

Or switch to mid-term rentals and bypass it entirely.

Same property. Same income.
Zero alignment with what the policy is trying to achieve.

This isn’t regulation… it’s a workaround waiting to happen.

And the real problem?
This creates admin, confusion, and enforcement headaches — without solving anything.

25+ years in this industry… and this is exactly what happens when policy isn’t built with real operators.

Curious to hear what other hosts and property owners think 👇

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HASHTAGS:


AirbnbTips Bookingcom VacationRentals
PropertyInvestment RentalStrategy MidTermRentals
TourismSouthAfrica RealEstateSouthAfrica
STRRegulation PropertyLaw UrbanPolicy
HostCommunity EntrepreneurSouthAfrica

This is the Airbnb management truth nobody wants to admit…






Watch the video 👆

Winter Is Stealing Your Airbnb Profits (Here’s How to Stop It) ❄️💸

If you don’t plan ahead, everything you earn in peak season gets swallowed during the slow months.

Here’s the fix → Mid-term stays (1–3 months).
These longer bookings keep your cash flow alive through winter — but most hosts wait too long.

👉 You need to be marketing them 3–4 months in advance.

This strategy increases your annual ROI, flattens your income curve, and gives you consistency instead of feast and famine.

📍In places like Cape Town, winter is April–August. That’s 120+ days of potential lost income if you don’t plan ahead.

✅ Start advertising now.
✅ Lock in mid-term tenants.
✅ Stop winter from killing your profits.

Want help? DM me the word WINTER and I’ll show you how we’re doing this for other hosts right now.

Holiday From Hell? Watch What They Walked Into

They booked a holiday home in Cape St Francis and drove all the way from Johannesburg, excited to finally switch off.

What they walked into on arrival… was not what anyone expects at the start of a break.

Credit to this couple though — his sense of humour was incredible despite the situation. They stayed one night and handled it with real grace.

A reminder that first impressions matter more than we think.