A month in Melbourne

Consumer Affairs Victoria says holiday accommodation, including hotels, motels, short-stay accommodation and bed and breakfasts, does not count as rental accommodation. It is a service offered under a contract and comes under the Australian Consumer Law, and the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 does not apply. A month in a holiday flat is that kind of contract; a residential lease is a different agreement, made under the tenancy act.

The owners corporation rules on short stays, the power to ban them and the breach notices for noise and damage, apply to bookings of less than 28 days. Consumer Affairs Victoria states that longer stays are not affected.

The short stay levy applies to stays of less than 28 consecutive days in the same property, not counting the checkout day. A booking of 28 nights or more falls outside it; a booking of 27 nights pays 7.5% on the whole booking fee, cleaning and GST included. Hotels, motels and hostels do not charge it at any length.

No official statistic on monthly rents for holiday flats in Melbourne was found, so this guide gives no rent figures. The advertised price must be the total, and GST is 10% where it applies.

Hotels, motels and hostels fall outside the levy whatever the length of stay, and Consumer Affairs Victoria lists hotels and motels with short-stay accommodation as holiday accommodation under the Australian Consumer Law. A month in a hotel therefore carries no levy, and its advertised price must still be the total, GST included. Whether a particular serviced apartment building counts as commercial accommodation for the levy is a question for the property; the State Revenue Office points to the Australian Taxation Office's GST ruling for the test.

Carlton and St Kilda suit a month in residential streets: Carlton near the University of Melbourne and the Carlton Gardens, St Kilda by the beach. Southbank and Docklands suit a month in an apartment tower close to the CBD. The CBD itself is the hardest place to keep a car, with limits of up to two hours at its meters. These choices are editorial.

EU and British citizens can travel on the free eVisitor and US citizens on the ETA, which costs AUD 20 in the Australian ETA app. Both are valid for 12 months and allow up to 3 months after each entry, enough for a month; the eVisitor cannot be extended, and a longer stay needs a different visa.

Passengers complete an Incoming Passenger Card on arrival. Some Qantas flights into Melbourne offer a digital declaration in the Qantas app instead, in a pilot the Australian Border Force runs with Qantas.

Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay, the same line as the levy. The first month is charged up front and released to the host 24 hours after check-in, later months are charged 10 days before each period, and a long-term cancellation policy that generally needs 30 days' notice applies to every stay of 28 nights or more.

In the City of Melbourne the all-day P Meter areas outside the central city cost AUD 2 an hour, and the council points to more than 130 off-street car parks. In St Kilda, Fitzroy Street machines cap a day at AUD 10.50 from April to September and AUD 15.60 from October to March, and the foreshore at AUD 21 a day. Inside the central city the meters allow up to two hours, and Port Phillip counts parking time from the moment the car stops, so a car in daily use needs an off-street space. Ask whether the flat comes with one before booking the month.

Booking 27 nights. One night short of 28, the levy applies to the whole booking.

Reading a nightly rate as the price. The total must include the levy where it applies, cleaning and GST.

Paying a meter by QR code. The council has found scam stickers on meters in Docklands and at the zoo.

Staying past 3 months. The eVisitor and the ETA allow 3 months after each entry.