The ARB rules that holiday accommodation adverts do not have to comply with municipal by-laws on whether the property in question is correctly zoned.
Municipal by-law enforcement is the responsibility of local authorities, not the advertising regulator, the latter said in adjudicating a complaint that two self-catering venues advertised and operated illegally.
The Directorate of the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has been called on to consider a consumer complaint against short-term accommodation listings in Kosmos Village near Pretoria, on the LekkeSlaap platform.
The complainant submits that the properties advertised in the listings are operating unlawfully as guesthouses or self‐catering establishments without the required consent-use, approval, or rezoning from the Madibeng Local Municipality.
In support of this allegation, he provided a municipal notice addressed to residents of Kosmos Village, stating that all guesthouses operating in the area without consent-use or rezoning approval must immediately stop operating.
