Traditional accommodation operators are calling for AirBnB and the like to have the same safety regulations as a hotel or motel.

It comes after six members of a Malaysian family were taken to hospital after a fire broke out in their AirBnB rental in Christchurch on Sunday night.

Hospitality New Zealand accommodation spokesperson, Rachel Shadbolt told Larry Williams this event is something the industry has feared for a long time.

"We were kind of waiting for something like this to happen, of course you don't want it to happen, I'd just like to say that I hope everybody is recovering well."

Shadbolt said if there isn't mandatory requirements for fire alarms, extinguishers and evacuation plans in place you're not guaranteed safety.

She said local councils are beginning to take a bigger interest in peer to peer accommodation sharing.

"There's a lot of tidying up to do potentially at a central and national government level about what the requirements are."

LISTEN ABOVE AS RACHEL SHADBOLT SPEAKS TO LARRY WILLIAMS