Airbnb neighbours who don't seem to matter

[Mudday]

I live in the centre of a triple divided cottage with two toddlers who are randomly noisy, and surprisingly 🧐sometimes (not regularly) noisy very late at night. I've lived in this part of the cottage for years with no problems from neighbours, before a single (rich bachelor) bought the other side of the house and knew that there was a young family (us) next door. He's set up an Airbnb business in his new home nextdoor and is giving us hell for being a young family, as the random, impossible to control family living noise is 'affecting his business'. I respect any noise issues and understand that we all need to respect our neighbours; however, our other neighbour has never had a problem, but this new one treats us like errant staff. AIBU for being furious that I have to tiptoe around my own home so my neighbour gets a good effing Airbnb review????

I would be telling him to do one and buying my kid a kazoo for christmas .

Op, buy a wind chime for the garden.

I let my spare room out on airbnb. I am mid terrace and on one side there are children.

When I started I spoke to the neighbours and asked if they had any concerns - they didn’t.

I take one guest at a time, and only rent to women. I am very clear with them that: they can come in at whatever time they like, and as drunk as they want. However, this is to be done with respect for me and the neighbours, - if they disturb anyone they will be out first thing and will get a negative review.

I had a woman arrive at 11pm at night, three hours after my check in time had finished. If she had messaged and told me she had a problem fine, but she didn’t.. She wasn’t allowed in, and airbnb backed me. (She also lost her money.)

I won’t let my guests annoy or disturb my lovely neighbours, who I get on well with.

I agree with above poster that he’s got his eye on your house. Just carry on as normal and report for harassment.

Ignore him.

Get some chickens and a Cockerell, free eggs and watch his reviews plummet

Your children will soon enough grow up - but you are stuck living next to an Air BnB until he decides otherwise. You can't expect babies not to cry, toddlers not to shout etc = it's just normal family life

@FrownedUpon

It would spoil a holiday though being next to noisy toddlers! I imagine he’ll keep complaining, but as long as you’re being as quiet as you can, not much you can do.

He's misdescribing the property though if he's marketing it as a 'quiet' holiday retreat.

And the OP doesn't have to be as quiet as she can to suit his guests. She simply needs to make sure the noise is limited to reasonable family noise.

Can’t believe his cheek! I thought you were going to be complaining about noise from an air bnb

@Frannyhy

I let my spare room out on airbnb. I am mid terrace and on one side there are children.

When I started I spoke to the neighbours and asked if they had any concerns - they didn’t.

I take one guest at a time, and only rent to women. I am very clear with them that: they can come in at whatever time they like, and as drunk as they want. However, this is to be done with respect for me and the neighbours, - if they disturb anyone they will be out first thing and will get a negative review.

I had a woman arrive at 11pm at night, three hours after my check in time had finished. If she had messaged and told me she had a problem fine, but she didn’t.. She wasn’t allowed in, and airbnb backed me. (She also lost her money.)

I won’t let my guests annoy or disturb my lovely neighbours, who I get on well with.

Apologies to derail the thread a bit, but you let out your air bnb room to women only, presumably so you feel safer, but are quite happy to turf out a lone woman, probably in a strange place, on her own??

Lots of divided houses are noisy, assuming the kids aren't drumming on the walls, you have carpet down (or basic insulation below exposed floorboards), and you aren't playing music or spinning the washing machine at mad times... then he doesn't have a leg to stand on.

I would double check your council's noise nuisance policy (you absolutely won't be at fault, just means you know what you are on about), then I would go to Citizens Advice and get them to help you draft a firm and official letter saying lay off pal.

And then just consider the matter closed.

As PPs say he may also be at fault running the gaff as a business, but it's a fine line w Air BnB (unless the lease specifically forbids it) so I think the most important thing is to be clear with him that you are in the right rather than try and proof he's in the wrong. However I would keep a note of numbers of guests and any trouble you have from them.

As an owner of holiday cottages myself I am fully in favour of some form licencing and regulation and I hate AirBnB. We don't list on that site and I won't book through it myself.

Just carry on as you are. His reviews are not your problem and if he's made a poor choice of property that is also not your problem. It is also worth complaining to AirBnB if you suffer disruption from the property. They do take complaints from neighbours seriously

I'd discover a love of death metal and play this loudly against the shared wall everytime I went out. Also, haven't you always wanted to learn to play the trumpet OP? It'd be kind to keep popping round to check his guests are settled in OK and while you are there, tell them your life story/health history/ religious or political viewpoints, also maybe swing by with some inedible baked goods?
I'd make it my life mission to sabotage all his reviews just for shits and giggles, though I appreciate you may be a more genteel and less hardened by life's pisstakes soul than I.

Must be a pretty rubbish "business" if a couple of toddlers playing normally in their own home in a residential area can cause it to unravel.

I disagree with PPs who say that you should tell him to leave you alone or you'll report him to Airbnb. If he's giving you hell, just get on and report him now.

I saw a thread on here a few months ago where a couple were complaining that a family had turned up at the holiday let next to them and were up as early as 8.30 making noise in the garden... errrr.

Kids do not come with volume knobs. Reasonably quiet yes, but family noise (the odd argument, children crying at night, them running through the house), is in no way a serious noise issue. Keep a record of lets, and check if he can operate this business legally.

OP, you have toddlers, but if this keeps up, next Christmas or so, I would look up beyblades on ebay (don't buy them new it's horrendous pricing!).

You have the perfect right to live your life, and until MN (and living in a flat in Canada where they even specified which blinds I was allowed to have) I had never heard of people thinking they could control perfectly reasonable behaviour from others. You could tut, and grumble to yourself, but the idea of actually expecting neighbours to change their lives (outside of 2am parties 3 nights a week) was unthinkable.

And it does still exist elsewhere - the last house I rented, the attached neighbours were tolerant of me yelling up to the kids in the mornings, and I was tolerant of their sing-star parties in the evening. I wouldn't have dreamed of talking to the neighbours 20 years ago, when my weekend mornings were started with 'BRAAAADDLLLYYYYYY' being yelled from next door, to get him up in time for football, or their kids yelling and screaming all summer on their trampoline/in the paddling pool, because kids make noise.

Lots of people really have become very self-absorbed I think.

@MirthlessChuckle

I'd be teaching the toddlers how to treat that dividing wall as a drum kit

Don't tiptoe. How dare he?!

Was going to suggest this. Be as loud as you want between the usual hours allowed by the council. If he starts getting low ratings, oh no poor stupid man he will lose business... Oh well

A while ago there was a thread on here about noisy neighbours and someone suggested getting small kids to play the recorder. I suggest you recruit your local infant school kids to create a recorder choir outside his part of the terrace if his guests disturb you

I think AirBnB should go back to its roots - it was about renting a room and couch-surfing, not taking housing stock away from residential and making it for holidays. If you want to go on holiday stay in a hotel or proper B&B.

As an owner of holiday cottages myself I am fully in favour of some form licencing and regulation and I hate AirBnB. We don't list on that site and I won't book through it myself

me neither. It seems quite unregulated to me, and there are often threads on here about owners trying to fleece their guests for extra cleaning charges - recent examples include beforehand (cos covid) or afterwards (claiming there was a stain somewhere that cost £££ to clean off)

@ivykaty44

Counter attack

Complain about every single thing that his guests do

This. Also look up your local council's page on noise (which will confirm he is being batshit) and send him the link every time he complains.

Tbh the bad reviews work in your favour as fewer people are likely to book or he has to lower his rates so it hits his pocket...I say bring on the stinkers.

Document every annoyance from the Air B'nB guests.
Then put a bulk complaint into the local council.
Make his life hard as he is making yours.

@ivykaty44

Counter attack

Complain about every single thing that his guests do

This is what I would do. Sounds like it's better set up for family life than an air bnb anyway. CF that he is

@YouSayWhatnow

Turf out? She wasn’t even allowed in. Airbnb had already cancelled her booking, so I don’t know why she still turned up.

Id also count the number of nights during the year paying guests stay in the property and date the occurrence - if its less than 140 nights then its liable for council tax and not business rates (the later is far far cheaper)

also take a look at this webpage

www.frettens.co.uk/site/library/frettensnews/Do-you-need-permission-to-run-an-Airbnb-solicitors

contact the district or local council and see if all the permissions were sought and implemented etc