Short-term rental properties are achieving the same income as many full-time rentals within less than a third of the time.

Analysis shows it takes just 101 days for the owner of a short-stay rental to achieve the same income.

There was a 23% increase in the number of holiday rentals advertised in the year to March, with Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) figures showing almost 134,000 rooms or properties are being offered for short-term rental.

REIA president Hayden Groves says for owners, the benefits afforded to short-term hosts tend to outweigh regulatory impediments.

“Short-stay accommodation offers a superior investment option with less regulation and licensing involved, so we obviously need to look to incentivise owners back into long-term accommodation; not disincentive them further,” Groves says.

Airbnb head of public policy, Michael Crosby, says restricting the number of nights a property can be rented out via a cap doesn’t mean it will be returned to the long-term rental market.