You have a responsibility as a member of your body corporate to tell the committee. Your body corporate is in control of your maintenance and insurance, which are directly affected by more guests being on premises so always let them know first.
Most home and contents and public liability insurance will not provide coverage for commercial activities, so while the ad hoc rental arrangement might be covered, operating your property like a hotel is unlikely to be.
There’s no rule or obligation for owners to meet guests. That being said, recent incidents where people didn’t ‘screen’ guests has left them exposed, as the guests misled hosts about the size of a group or in fact their age.
Explain that neighbours would appreciate it if you treated the apartment building with respect and courtesy. ‘People live in this building, so please treat it as your own’.
Provide a list of emergency contact numbers to short stay guests and highlight emergency evacuation protocol and any fire hazards.
As an owner at the apartment building, discuss the issue of short stay accommodation with other owners and even form a designated committee to discuss the issue regularly.
In large apartment complexes, investigate having a designated short stay accommodation warden that is tasked with meeting all incoming guests. The warden would be responsible for welcoming new guests, walking them through the building and highlighting any fire hazards.
Keep accurate and detailed information on all short stay guests as this information may prove pivotal when making insurance claims down the track