I don’t want our neighbour to keep running her airbnb

[airbnbby]

We live in a 6 house cul de sac, have been living here for years and get along great with our neighbours. None of the houses even have fences separating the back gardens.

A few months ago we started seeing different cars and people showing up to this one house for 3-4 days at a time. Another neighbour asked what was up and owner said they were just friends visiting. Well that’s a lot of very organised friends as they always show up hours after the other one has left!

Anyway I just don’t like it, this is the house next to ours and every time someone new comes in and parks they can see right inside our kitchen and it’s just uncomfortable as it’s multiple different people every week.

I also definitely do not like sharing our outside area with total strangers. They literally could be anyone! I have tried finding the listing on all websites but can’t seem to find it and even if I did there’s no way I could bring it down but it still annoys me

People will continue to offer the same advice, because that's really all here is to be done. Either move or take actions to protect your privacy, as much as possible (even if it means adjusting the blinds multiple times a day).

I'd keep using my porch, but I'd put up something to block the view from that angle. It doesn't have to cost much. A trellis or two in a plant box? A decorative screen? An outdoor curtain or bamboo blind? There are options. I'm sure you don't want to have to do that, but if the only alternative is to stop using your porch or feel "watched", I know which I'd prefer.

😂! So do you know how it works? They just started their Airbnb, so current tax year is 2022/23, income doesn't need to be declared until 31/1/24. So this may take some time to come to fruition. But yeah great idea otherwise 🤦‍♀️!

I have to say that if I were OP, I'd just be really, really curious about was was going on in the house next door if my neighbour's of a few years weren't there anymore but had many people pre-described as a "few visting friends" instead.

As PPs have said, I'd be getting a bit chatty with some of the 'visiting friends' to get an idea about what is really going on.

I don't want to share an outside toilet so I won't be camping
I want more than a bed so I'm not spending my holiday in a hotel
I will carry on renting holiday lets

None of those options suit me, I have a dog and lots of holiday let's allow them. Not suitable for camping or hotels.

I'll stay as I am, thanks.

If I go abroad I'll get another load of wingers moaning about short haul flights being wrong.

Good grief! Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen been at the magic mushrooms? 🤣

The 90 day rule is only for London at the moment, and only if its a whole property. There is nothing to stop a spare room being rented out.

If a house has the classification C3 dwelling house it can be used as a holiday let with no planning permission or change of use, unless there is a restrictive covenant on the deeds.

If its a conversion ( eg garage) then it depends what the original planning permission says. Change of use may be required.

If its a stand alone structure ( glampong pod, shepherds hut etc,) change of use of land planning permission is required unless you have an exemption certificate from a camping club.

All holiday lets, including a room in someone's house, should have specialist insurance with public liability.

If mortgaged they should have consent from the provider or if its a whole property a holiday let mortgage.

Tax is payable through self assessment under 'income from holiday let property' unless it is home share in which case they can earn £7,500 per annum tax free but on this case no expenses can be claimed. Air BnB report all income to HMRC so this is very hard to avoid.

If the requisite number of dates are available or rented out tge property should be on business rates rather than council tax. The owner can then claim small business rate relief so pay nothing.

All rubbish should be collected on a commercial waste contract and paid for. Local authority waste services cannot be used.

Oh, and you are allowed to use a hosepipe to water plants or fill hot tubs as it is for business use (in most areas)

These are the rules.

I don't think you're being unreasonable at all, they should be banned unless expressly permitted by the council to get them out of residential areas.

Those aren't the rules, a house classified under c3 can be occassionally used as a short term let but the degree of which its used and the nature of the guests means that it may need planning permission if used as a short term let. It doesn't sound like thats the case OP is describing as her neighbour continues to live there from what shes described but it is wrong to state that only a restrictive covenant on deeds will mean a C3 house needs planning permission

"Applying such principles to letting out a dwelling house for holiday lettings, the judge in the case of Sheila Moore v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (and others) [2012] EWCA Civ 2012 commented that:

“… whether the use of a dwelling house for commercial letting as holiday accommodation amounts to a material change of use will be a question of fact and degree in each chase, and the answer will depend upon the particular characteristics of the use as holiday accommodation. Neither of the two extreme propositions – that using a dwelling house for commercial holiday letting will always amount to a material change of use, or that use of a dwelling house for commercial holiday lettings can never amount to a change of use – is correct”.

Material change

In deciding whether or not there has been a material change in the use of the property, the factors that local authorities and planning inspectors tend to look at are the obvious ones: the number and frequency of guests, whether those guests use the property in an uncharacteristic way (e.g. for more frequent, alcohol-fuelled parties late into the evening), the noise and transport impacts, whether guests regularly arrive and leave at particular times, whether there is an increase in servicing (e.g. regular visits from commercial cleaners or caterers), how much of the property is let out and how often. Obviously, back-to-back lettings over the summer months of parts of a property to boisterous guests runs a much greater risk of amounting to a material change of use (and therefore needing planning permission), than an occasional holiday-let to ‘monk-like’ guests."

excellolaw.co.uk/excellolaw-blogs/why-planning-permission-may-be-needed-when-using-your-home-for-holiday-lets/

Check with the council what the rules are. You have ordered the fence and have blinds. If there is antisocial behaviour from any neighbours you can take steps.

I probably wouldn’t like this either and am fortunately not in the position now, but could change ax there are no laws against it.

Things change unfortunately. Even if it was not this a new family might have bought in the cul de sac who have lots of visitors or parties that are reasonable but annoying due to privacy. They might have young children and put up fences for safety. Most people selling their houses do not vet potential buyers based on these criteria - will you?

It’s not ‘your’ outdoor area it’s a public place and you’re being ridiculous.

If you want 100% privacy move where there ar enough other houses.

I wonder what made the neighbour decide to move out in the first place…? 😏

Have we had a diagram of this cluster of houses with no fences in the back? Did i miss it?

Not your property so not much you can do. Either make adjustments to your own so you don't feel so exposed, or move somewhere more remote.

You have no idea that this is the case, wishful thinking.

Example of what people are telling you to get for blinds: www.blinds-2go.co.uk/roller-blinds/19436/oculus-bright-white.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0oyYBhDGARIsAMZEuMsWnFxQiyMidLRZXNAT7-j__xH4o32QI8Et0NHWIauMc0oloNjm4VsaAkXlEALw_wcB. It won't be dark, it will just give you the privacy that you say you want.

Unfortunately you don't own the house next door, so it isn't your choice what goes on there. You need to move somewhere with no neighbours if you really can't bear to be near other humans. I really doubt anyone in an airbnb is as excited about your breakfast as you seem to think though, it seems very unlikely.

Those are generally the rules as they stand currently. I have not seen a single planning application for change of use for a C3 to become a holiday let. If you had to get planning then there wouldn't be so many holiday lets and people wouldn't be saying holiday lets are causing the housing crisis.

Where I live there are 156 holiday cottages in C3 dwellings. None have applied for change of use, there are no planning enforcements for change of use.

Hopefully this will change and planning will be required one day. Planning is required if there is a restrictive covenants. In some areas , including mine, new builds cannot be used for holiday lets.

Also try day/night blinds?

Living in close knit neighbourhoods is hard when there is the change of generation as I call it.
it is even worse if you live near starter homes (I.e. 1-2beds).
once the original owners sell or rent after they’ve moved on, you are faced with a lot of new people that may not value the closeness you all have.

i would recommend a mirror one way film on the patio doors or otherwise a frosted film.
the other option is nets. During day time no one will be able to see through and you still have the daylight and full privacy.

Arrange the fence too as that is such a privacy invasion!

good luck.

Well it seems this thread summoned the first group of difficult guests next door.

Came home late last night and whilst attempting to park ran over our rosemary shrub. Smoked outside and left cigarette butts on our side of the house. They even put their bing bags in our bins when it was already full so the lid didn’t close properly and the seagulls had some fun with it. We had to be the ones that picked it up as they had already checked out and our neighbour is obviously not here. We know it wasn’t our rubbish because they had dirty nappies and we don’t have any children.

I hope blinds and a fence fix all of these issues!

Fingers crossed Op! Maybe make an area for your bins so that they aren't accessible.

Lol we once viewed a house where they had no fences between the back gardens, so close were they.

my antisocial arse ran a mile in the opposite direction. No thank you!

Probably not, you'll have to accept the odd difficult guest, it happens.

1. Buy some blinds.
2. Buy some fencing.
3. Mind your own business.
4. Live your life

That would really annoy me. I'd complain to the owners and ask them to pay for the plant and I'd ask them to clean your bin. (I hope you took photos). They are the ones making a profit. You shouldn't have to suffer for it.