A property does not need to sit empty simply because you are not ready to place it on a traditional residential lease.
For some Tasmanian property owners, the better approach may be short-stay accommodation. For others, it could be a corporate stay of several weeks or months. This is particularly relevant in Tasmania, where accommodation demand changes considerably by location, season and reason for travel.
Tasmania’s visitor market creates opportunities throughout the year
Tasmania welcomed a record 1.4 million interstate and international visitors in the year ending March 2026, with visitors spending $3.8 billion across the state.
Summer remains Tasmania’s busiest travel period, bringing longer days, major events and strong leisure demand. But it is far from the only opportunity for property owners.
Tourism Tasmania describes autumn as one of the state’s strongest touring and walking periods, while winter has developed a visitor market of its own through Tasmania’s Off Season, which runs from May to August.
Accommodation data also shows why owners should avoid thinking of Tasmania as a purely summer market. In August 2025, Tasmania recorded its highest number of short-stay nights booked for any August on record, according to Tourism Tasmania’s monthly accommodation reporting.
Spring brings another shift in demand, as gardens, walking, food-and-wine experiences, and regional events draw visitors back outdoors.
Different Tasmanian properties suit different types of stay
There is no single accommodation strategy that suits every property.
A coastal or regional home may be particularly well suited to leisure stays associated with touring, walking, food and wine experiences or local events.
Properties in Hobart and Launceston can have a broader base of demand. Alongside holiday travellers, Tasmania receives visitors travelling for work, projects, professional placements, relocation and other reasons that can create accommodation demand outside traditional leisure periods.
This can make some city properties suitable for a combination of short stays, corporate accommodation and longer furnished bookings.
The property itself matters too. Location, parking, number of bedrooms, access to hospitals or employment centres, proximity to attractions and the way a home is furnished and presented can all influence which accommodation market is most appropriate.
Understanding which guests the property best serves, when they are likely to need it and how the strategy should change across the year will help you position your property for better performance.
Short stays are not the only answer
One advantage of a flexible accommodation strategy is the ability to consider a mix between holiday bookings, corporate or mid-term bookings and a traditional residential tenancy.
A furnished property may suit someone working in Tasmania temporarily, completing a professional placement, relocating to the state or needing accommodation while transitioning between homes.
For an owner, this can provide another way to make use of an under-utilised property during periods when leisure demand is softer, without automatically committing the property to a conventional long-term lease.
It also allows pricing, marketing and availability to respond to the property and market throughout the year rather than applying the same strategy in every season.
The 90-day threshold in Tasmania
There is an important distinction Tasmanian owners should understand when choosing who manages their property.
Under Tasmania’s property management licensing requirements, a property manager can rely on the short-stay licensing exemption where all properties managed by the business are leased or let for periods of 90 days or less.
If any property managed by the business is leased for more than 90 days, the business and staff undertaking property management functions must meet the relevant licensing requirements.
That becomes particularly important where an owner’s strategy may need to move between short stays and longer accommodation arrangements. At Harrison Stays, we are fully licensed for all property management types, allowing us to move seamlessly between short- and longer-term strategies as required. Other short-stay accommodation management companies may be limited to stays of 90 days or less.
More than occupancy
A successful accommodation strategy should not simply aim to maximise the number of booked nights.
Owners also need to consider nightly rates, seasonal demand, cleaning and operating costs, property presentation, guest suitability, maintenance, availability for personal use and the impact different booking lengths can have on the property’s overall return.
In some periods, fewer higher-value bookings may make more sense than pursuing maximum occupancy. In others, a longer furnished stay may provide greater certainty and reduce changeover costs.
We can assist in crafting a strategy with your property’s individual characteristics in mind.
One property can have more than one opportunity
An owner may want to use a holiday home themselves for part of the year and generate income at other times. A city property may suit short leisure stays around major events, then accommodate a professional or corporate guest for several weeks or months. Another property may ultimately be better suited to residential management.
Those decisions should be based on the property, the owner’s objectives, and the surrounding market, rather than forcing every home into the same accommodation model.
As part of Harrison Agents, Harrison Stays combines local accommodation knowledge with the broader property expertise of a licensed Tasmanian real estate agency.
Our approach considers short stays, corporate accommodation and longer furnished bookings to determine how a property can be used effectively across different periods of the year.
If you own a Tasmanian property that sits empty for part of the year, talk to the Harrison Stays team about the accommodation options that may suit your property.
