[2025] NSWCATCD 61
General information, not legal advice.
NCAT Consumer and Commercial
2025-06-27
Original judgment source is linked above.
"I engaged [the respondent] to manage my property on Airbnb and I paid [the respondent] 20% commission from each booking to do so. [The respondent is] withholding income earned from my property to the value of $4140 as evidenced in the Airbnb payment summary and my bank statements. I instructed [the respondent] to lodge two claims with Airbnb for damages to my property from guests and I have not received any outcome from claim or monetary settlement from Airbnb insurance."
The application form described the value of the claim at that stage at $4,987.25 and set out a claim for the following orders:
4 The applicant Peta Mackenzie, is to lodge with the Tribunal, and give to the other party the documents they rely on by 24 December 2024. Applicant's documents are to include submissions as to what orders are sought under what legislation, and why the applicant asserts that this Tribunal has jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter given that the contract appears to have been formed in Queensland or Victoria if the legislation relied upon requires a contract formed in NSW.
5 The respondent Pyika Pty Ltd, is to lodge with the Tribunal, and give to the other party the documents they rely on by 14 January 2025.
6 Documents include Witness statements, Expert reports, Colour photographs, Invoices, Quotations, Chronology, Index of the documents, agency agreement, service agreement, any separate terms and conditions and Rent ledger as applicable and any other documents to be relied upon. Evidence of any witness is to be in a signed and witnessed statement. Any witness is to be available to give evidence at the hearing.
...
8 Leave granted to the applicant to amend the claimed amount to $5812.25.
(1) that the respondent pay her $5,659, which she said was the full cleaning fee owing to her under the agreement;
(2) that the respondent pay her interest on that amount; and
(3) that the respondent reimburse her for the filing fee paid on her application.
(1) the respondent would be paid a commission equal to 20% of the net rental income received from the property, and the applicant would keep 80% of those amounts;
(2) the applicant would engage and manage a cleaner to clean the property from time to time;
(3) the guests staying at the apartment would pay a cleaning fee in addition to their rental income which would then be paid to the applicant, in full, to refund her for the cleaning costs she has incurred.
She asserts that the respondent has not paid those cleaning fee amounts to her under the contract.
(1) Airbnb would collect payments from the guests staying at the property, which it would distribute to the applicant and the respondent in accordance with the agreement of the parties.
(2) Airbnb would pay 20% of the net rental (accommodation) fees it collected to the respondent, and the remaining 80% to the applicant.
(3) Airbnb would also pay all of the cleaning fees it collected directly to the applicant in full, without any deduction in favour of the respondent.
79K Supply or agreement made, or supply intended to be made, in New South Wales
(1) The Tribunal has jurisdiction to hear and determine a consumer claim only if--
(a) the goods or services to which the claim relates were supplied in New South Wales, or
(b) a contract or other agreement to which the claim relates contemplated that the goods or services would be supplied in New South Wales (whether or not they were so supplied), or
(c) a contract or other agreement to which the claim relates was made in New South Wales (whether or not the goods or services were supplied in New South Wales).
(2) The Tribunal has such jurisdiction whether or not--
(a) a contract or other agreement to which the claim relates confers jurisdiction on any other court or tribunal (whether in New South Wales or elsewhere), or
(b) the rules of private international law require a law other than the law of New South Wales to be applied to the hearing or determination of the claim.
... a claim by a consumer, for one or more of the following remedies, that arises from a supply of goods or services by a supplier to the consumer (whether or not under a contract) or that arises under a contract that is collateral to a contract for the supply of goods or services--
(a) the payment of a specified sum of money,
(b) the supply of specified services,
(c) relief from payment of a specified sum of money,
(d) the delivery, return or replacement of specified goods or goods of a specified description.
(a) the performance of work (including work of a professional nature), whether with or without the supply of goods,
(b) the provision of gas or electricity or the provision of any other form of energy,
(c) the provision, or the making available for use, of facilities for amusement, entertainment, recreation or instruction,
(d) the letting of premises for vacation or recreational purposes,
(e) the conferring of rights, benefits or privileges for which remuneration is payable in the form of a royalty, tribute, levy or similar exaction,
(f) the provision of insurance cover,
(g) the rights or benefits provided, granted or conferred under a contract between a banker and a customer of the banker entered into in the course of the carrying on by the banker of the business of banking,
(h) the provision of credit,
(i) any other rights (including rights in relation to, and interests in, property), benefits, privileges or facilities that are, or are to be, provided, granted or conferred in trade or commerce.
(1) the applicant is a consumer (including because the contrary has not been asserted or established);
(2) the respondent carries on business supplying co-hosting services for short stay accommodation, in conjunction with the owners of properties;
(3) those services fall within the definition of "services" in s 79F, including because they include the performance of work and the giving of other rights in trade or commerce;
(4) the applicant's claim is therefore a "consumer claim": s 79E;
(5) the applicant's claim has a sufficient connection with New South Wales because (amongst other reasons) the contract was made in New South Wales (the applicant was living in New South Wales at the time the contract was made and accepted the respondent's offer in New South Wales), and the contract contemplated that the respondent's services would be supplied in New South Wales, in connection with a property that is located in New South Wales: s 79K.
This Court, in Pacific Carriers Ltd v BNP Paribas, has recently reaffirmed the principle of objectivity by which the rights and liabilities of the parties to a contract are determined. It is not the subjective beliefs or understandings of the parties about their rights and liabilities that govern their contractual relations. What matters is what each party by words and conduct would have led a reasonable person in the position of the other party to believe. References to the common intention of the parties to a contract are to be understood as referring to what a reasonable person would understand by the language in which the parties have expressed their agreement. The meaning of the terms of a contractual document is to be determined by what a reasonable person would have understood them to mean. That, normally, requires consideration not only of the text, but also of the surrounding circumstances known to the parties, and the purpose and object of the transaction.
"... a tech company ... which focuses on property management and automation of manual tasks to empower homeowners to manage their properties independently. [The respondent] distinguishes itself from traditional property management companies by allowing owners to keep their listing on their own Airbnb account, granting them access to Airbnb's performance dashboard. This dashboard shows you how to listing performance compared to other listings in your area, visualises data such as conversion and occupancy rates and protects you from agency costs."
The email then proposed that the applicant participate in a "ReadySetHost" session with the respondent's chief operating officer, Tamir Mazliach, who would guide the applicant through the process of setting up an Airbnb listing. It asked the applicant to undertake various steps before attending that session, including:
• verified your identity on Airbnb
• updated your personal information on Airbnb
• updated your public Airbnb profile
• added a payout method to your Airbnb profile
• captured at least 5 pictures of your property ...
• apply for a STRA number
[An STRA number, or Short-Term Rental Accommodation number, is a unique identifier issued by the NSW Government for properties registered for short-term rental in New South Wales. It is a part of the regulation of short-term rentals to ensure properties meet safety and compliance standards. The number must be displayed on online listings to legally operate a short-term rental.]
(1) "Nightly rate" accommodation fees totalling $13,711.68;
(2) cleaning fees totalling $3,920.00; and
(3) Airbnb's "guest service fee", totalling $1,149.53,
which was a total of $18,781.21. After deduction of Airbnb's "host service fee", Airbnb paid the remaining fees collected from those guests to the parties in accordance with the 80%/20% split that had been agreed between them: the applicant received a total of $12,559.63 and the respondent received $3,139.91.
Consideration - applying the law to the facts of the case
When proof of any fact is required, the Court must feel an actual persuasion of the occurrence or existence of that fact before it can be found. Mere mechanical comparison of probabilities, independent of any belief in reality, cannot justify the finding of a fact. Actual persuasion is achieved where the affirmative of an allegation is made out to the reasonable satisfaction of the Court. However, reasonable satisfaction is not a state of mind that is attained or established independently of the nature and consequences of the fact to be proved. The seriousness of an allegation made, the inherent unlikelihood of an occurrence of a given description, and the gravity of the consequences flowing from a particular finding are considerations that must affect whether the fact has been proved to the reasonable satisfaction of the Court. Reasonable satisfaction should not be produced by inexact proofs, indefinite testimony or indirect inferences.
60 Costs
(1) Each party to proceedings in the Tribunal is to pay the party's own costs.
(2) The Tribunal may award costs in relation to proceedings before it only if it is satisfied that there are special circumstances warranting an award of costs.
(3) In determining whether there are special circumstances warranting an award of costs, the Tribunal may have regard to the following--
(a) whether a party has conducted the proceedings in a way that unnecessarily disadvantaged another party to the proceedings,
(b) whether a party has been responsible for prolonging unreasonably the time taken to complete the proceedings,
(c) the relative strengths of the claims made by each of the parties, including whether a party has made a claim that has no tenable basis in fact or law,
(d) the nature and complexity of the proceedings,
(e) whether the proceedings were frivolous or vexatious or otherwise misconceived or lacking in substance,
(f) whether a party has refused or failed to comply with the duty imposed by section 36(3),
(g) any other matter that the Tribunal considers relevant.
(4) If costs are to be awarded by the Tribunal, the Tribunal may--
(a) determine by whom and to what extent costs are to be paid, and
(b) order costs to be assessed on the basis set out in the legal costs legislation (as defined in section 3A of the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014) or on any other basis.
"costs" includes--
(a) the costs of, or incidental to, proceedings in the Tribunal, and
(b) the costs of, or incidental to, the proceedings giving rise to the application or appeal, as well as the costs of or incidental to the application or appeal.
(1) By consent of the respondent, the respondent must pay the applicant the sum of $704.48 immediately.
(2) The balance of the applicant's claim is dismissed as the Tribunal is not satisfied to the civil standard (being the balance of probabilities) on the material before it that there are grounds for the Tribunal to make the other orders claimed by the applicant.
I hereby certify that this is a true and accurate record of the reasons for decision of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal of New South Wales.
Mackenzie
Pyika Pty Ltd [2025] NSWCATCD 61;
(2004) 218 CLR 471
(2004) 219 CLR 165
(2011) 297 ALR 56