To complain about the Air B'n'Bs next door?

[thatdamnwoman]

30 years ago I made a decision to leave the city and come and live in a rural area of Wales, near the coast, for a calmer, quieter life. The houses in this little enclave are nothing special but they're all detached and in decent-sized gardens and most of the neighbours were looking for a similar quiet, low-key existence. Quite a few of the houses are second homes but that didn't seem to cause much of an issue. Fast forward 25 years and now about half the properties here are being offered on Air B'n'B and the whole atmosphere of the place has changed. The two houses closest to me are both second homes and are both let out almost permanently on Air B'n'B. From Easter to the end of September they are chock-a-block, often with large groups. Both houses have a minimum 2-night stay, so there can be three or more changes of tenants each week.

Weekends, in particular, are a nightmare. Large groups of probably perfectly pleasant people arrive from town and then want to sit out in the gardens until 2 or 3am in the morning, drinking and barbecuing and whooping at the sheer wonder of being able to see the stars. I do understand how lovely it must seem if you spend most of your life in town and how tempting to want to sit out and play music and keep the fire pit going all night — but what about me, next door, having to sleep with the windows shut because of the smoke and noise?

I've asked the two neighbours who own the properties closest to me to change the wording on their Air B'n'B listing to tell people that there's to be no noise after, say, 10pm (I've stayed in a number of Air B'n'Bs where this has been a stipulation) and they have both adjusted the wording to ask people to 'respect the neighbours' — which of course they don't do once they've had a few glasses of wine. One of the neighbours has responded to my complaint about noise by installing a piano outdoors on the covered terrace in their garden, so at 7.15am this morning I was woken by a child 'playing' the piano 30 feet from my bedroom window. It might not be such a big issue in town but here, where it's quiet and there's nothing but birdsong, it's really intrusive.

I've complained to Air B'n'B and the council, but the council is stretched beyond capacity and when I've tried to get Environmental Health officers to come out at 2am and monitor the noise themselves I've been told that there's no one available. Am I being so unreasonable to want the Air B'n'B guests to be quiet after 10pm?

I used to live in Edinburgh and the joy of it was the centre was very residential as it's got lots of flats. I expect it's very different now.

The problem with short-term lets as opposed to BTL (which obv has its own set of issues) is it does reduce the housing available for residents. This will inevitably push rental prices and capital values up. Absentee AirBnB landlords don't pay for the externalities, so the impact of noise, rubbish and traffic on the local communities, so why should they worry about community.

I live in a tourist place now and do not understand why (a minority, but not that small a minority) people come visit because it's beautiful then dump a fuck-tonne of rubbish everywhere.

Its really not that bad noise and disturbance, is it - its not loud music and thumping beats. It is literally people enjoying themselves in a place where you would expect to do so. Its not any worse and probably a whole lot better than you would here in the average town street.

It is worse though.

In your usual suburban residential street you would have the occasional party and noise, but this is different. People come from everywhere just to have a party and make noise and have fun and they know they've paid for it and they will bugger off in a couple of days time and they lose all inhibitions.

Tourism ruins everything it touches.

Troll hunters, just fuck off, eh?

Its creepy and weird. Talk to your therapists about your strange obsession with strangers.

LakieLady Its really not that bad noise and disturbance, is it - its not loud music and thumping beats. It is literally people enjoying themselves in a place where you would expect to do so. Its not any worse and probably a whole lot better than you would here in the average town street.

I think it is, actually, because of the frequency. When you live in a street (well, most streets - if you live in a studenty area it may well be different) some of your neighbours will have a party once in a while. From the sound of it, this place has it going on weekly, sometimes more than once a week.

Perhaps I'm just immune, having lived in Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland. I had some dreadful neighbours. Used to always try not to rile people too much for fear of setting them off. One particularly bad neighbour went on to murder his wife and bury her in a cesspit. And that was in 'naice' areas too. Used to live on the edge of the New Town and a gang of beggars who lived locally used to always argue and fight with other gangs who would have liked to have moved onto their patch close to the cash machine in the early hours. I often phoned the police, as the police station was just around the corner, but most people seemed to put up with it. Used to get drunks bursting the lock on the communal entrance door and sleeping in the hallway. Very expensive and very regular. Air BandBs seem quite mild compared to that. Over 40s men were our regular problem.

Do you think there might be undeclared tax from the income? A note to HMRC might be a peaceful option
Honestly disgusted about how this is the first thing people think of

I know, it becomes a bit tiresome to read. I bet HMRC know how to sift out the multitude of jealous petty reports they get busybodies. And the juxtaposition of people decrying Airbandb but urging the OP to acts of vandalism of property, anti-social behaviour, etc..

Do you think there might be undeclared tax from the income? A note to HMRC might be a peaceful option
Honestly disgusted about how this is the first thing people think of

Why?

Don't you think people who profit from other people's misery should pay their tax?

Why?

Don't you think people who profit from other people's misery should pay their tax?

Sure, the government should look i to it.
But I’d rather they look into the companies who are withholding millions in cash first, rather than doing it just to carry out ‘justice’ for your petty grievances.

What was the result of complaining to airbnb?

Lose the whataboutery. We're not talking about companies who withold tax and so on.

This is a very specific thread. Please don't derail.

I used to live in Edinburgh and the joy of it was the centre was very residential as it's got lots of flats. I expect it's very different now.

Yep! Sure is. Loads of AirB&Bers using the lets for stag and hen do's. Hell.

I am a host and one of my house rules is no noise loud music outside. I would chuck them out if they were upsetting neighbours.

Keep on at Air BnB as I know they will tackle hosts about this stuff.

@Pinkyyy, me and DH love Airbnb. We want to stay in someone's flat or house because it is so much better than staying in a hotel.

Why would anyone want to stay in just a bedroom usually with just a bed to sit on to watch tv when you can have a whole place with a comfortable sofa? Why would you want to be restricted to eating breakfast when the hotel want you to rather than when you want to? Why would be happy to have to go out so the room can be cleaned when you can choose to stay in if you want to? Why would you choose to stay somewhere where you have no choice but to eat out when you could have the choice of cooking your own meals?

It's simply not true that it doesn't work out cheaper than a hotel. All the ones we have stayed in across the UK and abroad have been a lot cheaper than a hotel. We use them at least once a month and often to go to a particular area to visit family. The cheapest hotel there is Travelodge which is never less than £70 a night. Among the place the we have rented so far are a 3 bed detached house for £55 a night, a large bungalow for £45 a night and a lovely 2 bed flat for £40 a night

Well if what was said above of having to register as a holiday let if used more than 30 days a year is correct - your neighbours have already done that.
Yes it's cheap money making - I have a buy to let property here in Scotland but I will give it up after present tenant moves out as regulations have been changed to favour the tenant. On top of new regulations safety regs regarding gas flues/ carbon monoxide alarms etc etc are stricter.
I presume air bnb don't have to do all that.
One property in the block of flats tried airbnb but was stopped as the building was designated private dwellings ie not businesses.

@CassianAndor, please tell me why I would pay £70 a night for a Travelodge so that I have to sit on the bed to watch tv which is really uncomfortable, pay an extortionate price for a pretty grotty breakfast and be forced to eat out in the evening whether I want to or not?

It also seems that just about every time we have stayed in a hotel there are guests who come back in the middle of the night, slam doors, talk at the top of their voices, have very loud sex etc and so I get literally no sleep.

We are not a cheapskates but a couple who think having a whole place for much less cost than a hotel is a sensible thing to do. We visit family at least once a month and, as they live over 150 miles away, have to stay in accommodation. We can't afford a top class hotel but, even if we could, would not want to stay in one as we both dislike hotels.

In the area we visit the most there are no holiday cottages other than Airbnb as it is not really a tourist area.

I appreciate the problems the OP is having but it can hardly be the case that everyone who stays in an Airbnb causes a nuisance can it?

Me and DH are not problem guest nor are any of the people I know who us Airbnb including my nieces and nephews and some of their friends. They are young but considerate too.

This is not an Airbnb issue but selfish guests issue. If the OP complains to the owners of the house they could, if they wanted, leave negative reviews for the guests.

God forbid those nasty tenants have stricter safety rules .

A noisy cockerel would be just the thing! Lol. Easy to keep but very noisy first thing in the morning! 🐓

God forbid those nasty tenants have stricter safety rules hmm

Digressing, but it is over the top in Edinburgh now. Its just a money-making racket for the Council and their cronies. HMOs need 9 annual safety related checks plus a license costing over £500 each year plus landlord registration plus whatever adaptations that can only be carried out by one authorised company at a few thousand that year. (I don't live in Edinburgh any more but manage properties in it). At one point, sprinkler systems were made mandatory but thankfully that one was dropped, but an Edinburgh HMO is now so ridiculously safe and regulated that I often wonder how anyone used to living in one will manage to brush their teeth without the requisite glow-in-the-dark signage instructing them how to get to the bathroom and open the door if ever moving out.

The other Edinburgh money-making state-sponsored wheeze is university halls of residence, which are springing up all over. AirB&Bs are hardly the problem here and as I say, seem quite mild in comparison. I get the impression that stag and hen dos often use the budget hotels that have also sprung up all over.

YANBU - I live in London in “naice” area, our next door neighbours do air b n b when they go on holiday and it’s a bloody nightmare. The family of 4 are replaced by 8-10 people hell bent on enjoying the house to the maximum.

Can’t the council do anything? This seems totally ridiculous!

If the council can’t/won’t do anything, I’d be complaining to the owners EVERY SINGLE time there is disturbance, complaining to AirBnB EVERY SINGLE time there’s disturbance, complaining to the guests EVERY SINGLE time there’s disturbance (twice in fact: once to ask nicely, then to be the neighbour from hell so they leave bad reviews). Maybe I’d go round to discuss with the noisy guests on my way to work at 6am too, not to mention the installation of a rooster.

And I’d also seriously be looking into legal redress regards the council not fulfilling their obligations and to the house owners for the problems they are causing.

God forbid those nasty tenants have stricter safety rules

So it's ok for a party of 10 squashed into an airbnb flat risk carbon monoxide poisoning or being trapped in a fire due to no smoke alarms.
It's easy money if you just hand over the keys of wherever for 50 quid a night with no outgoings except a cleaner. But if that's ok why must others have such strict laws?
By the way I'm in favour of the laws but it makes buy to let a real business in which you pay tax on the profits. So it's win win for everyone whereas air bnb is win for a few.

I lost interest when you said “fast forward 25 years” . 25 years!!! Things have moved on! You either deal with it or move. Simple as that

Just keep knoking on the door telling them to be quiet-ech time someone new comes do it the ratings will be atrocious

Get some pets, cockerel 🐓 and pigs 🐖
Complain every time, the only way to feel you are having a say is to their effect ratings
Yanbu must be bloody awful!

You could take a direct approach. Everytime the air bnb people keep you awake / wake you up, call the property owner and wake them up...

Lose the whataboutery. We're not talking about companies who withold tax and so on

This is a very specific thread. Please don't derail

I’m not derailing, If you were worried about them paying their taxes, why wait yuk they’ve kissed you off to report them?
No one was bothered about checking on their tax before, were they?
But suddenly decide that they care now.
I mean, it’s just using they tax authorities as your own personal means of dishing out justice. I think that’s disgusting