But owners and agents point out maintaining a house on the mountain is itself not cheap.

Ted and Jenny Weeks, of property management agency Mountain Multiservice, said most if not all of the rental homes were not the owners' main residence.

"Ninety per cent, at least, of the apartment owners use them for a couple of weeks a year and we rent it out the rest of the time," Mr Weeks said.

A Falls Creek property manager since 1984, Mr Weeks said owners purchased flats for lifestyle reasons but renting them at other times helped cover the associated costs.

He said a two-bedroom apartment that might attract annual rates of $10,000 could be rented for $3500 a week at certain times of the year.

The Border Mail sought rates figures from Falls Creek Resort Management but nothing was provided before deadline.

Ms Weeks said their owners lived all over Australia and even overseas and so relied on agents to deal with the houses day to day.

"It's very hard to run a property up here if you're from Western Australia, and some people are," she said.

"Because you're dealing with a property in an unusual climate things can be awkward.

"Falls Creek's a village which is covered in snow, so sometimes if a fridge or a washing machine breaks down we have to then get one from Albury and then get it up and then transport it across the snow into the flat."

Falls Creek central reservations office manager Sharon Plummer said home owners aimed to take advantage of the snow season's peak rental period.

Melbourne doctor Louise Barberis' family has owned a Falls Creek holiday home since the early 1960s and she continues this tradition.

“It's a bit of a luxury but it's self-funding," she said.

"Of course it costs a fair bit to heat lodges in the snow and the electricity price is going up."

Her four-bedroom house sleeps up to 10 people and varies from about $3000 to $7000 a week during the year.

Dr Barberis is visiting Falls Creek this week with friends.

"I try to allow bookings to occur and then if there's free time then I'll take it," she said.

"Occasionally I'll specify a week.”