Air Bnb has ruined my life

[itsafan]

There is literally no way out of this situation 😢 other than for us to give up our jobs and relocate in the hope that we can find new jobs and a place to live. There are literally no other rentals available in the area even if we could afford the rents. A mortgage is out of the question as we would need at least a hundred grand deposit.
There are at least 1000 properties listed on Airbnb within a 5 mile radius, many of them would be ideal but the rents on them are extortionate and aimed at tourists we are talking at least a grand a week.
We have lived here for years in a residential complex (well before Airbnb and booking even got popular) we have jobs here and friends here and a life here. It is on the whole fine for 9 months of the year mainly local people living around us who all respect that we are living and just trying to survive.
Then the Airbnb people turn up and every week it’s new people above us below us next to us. The noise is horrendous and probably the worst problem. Being woken at all hours with people rolling suitcases along floors, lifts going up and down, shouting in the corridors and doors banging. It just goes on and on like this for months.
My anxiety with it all is now so bad that I’m having to take medication. The noise just feels constant.
Do people even realise when they are booking Airbnb that these are people’s homes that they are disrupting? Why don’t people go to hotels anymore ?
So yeah there is a huge housing crisis due to the airbnb situation and I’m just a small person in a situation that I can’t change other than to leave somewhere I call home. I suppose my AIBU is am I being unreasonable to feel like a company has ruined my life ?

That sounds genuinely dreadful OP, I'm so sorry.

I have nothing helpful to suggest I'm afraid other than suggesting you write to your MP. I appreciate that won't actually help your current situation but it highlights the issue and the impact on people.

Have you contacted your local council re the issue, air b and b, even the owners if you know them?

Sorry should have said that I’m not in the U.K.

Contact your MP and start to ask for licencing of AirBnBs to restrict the quantity and number of days.

They are a PITA to live next door to.

Can you find out who the owners are and tell them. Air B&B owners have rules for their property that people are using. Have you complained to the owners.

@Talkinpeace I will look into that thank you

I would expect that given the local situation in Spain re tourism or the French Marie system there would be a lot your local government could do

Presumably you are in some sort of block of flats?

In which case what are the rules about what they can be used for and who enforces them?

@Iloveeverycat the owners are not from here I think a couple of them are from the emirates but they do not visit. We have posted letters asking the tourists to be considerate but on the whole they don’t care they are on holiday to enjoy it not to be quiet. I know we have to leave, I think im just angry that airbnb has become a thing it was so lovely before then.

What other purposes?

I choose hotels over air bnbs.

The problem is that for many, it’s a lot cheaper than hotels and people can get their own bedrooms for a much better price. I do think that they can destroy places so more restrictions are needed.

@JohnofWessexYes there is a committee although we are not part of that. For example we can not vote on anything or have any say in what happens on the whole because we rent and do not own. We are in a situation where we don’t feel we can complain to the landlord as he could have someone in here within a day for double the rent. We fix things ourselves because we are terrified there isn’t even one place to move to for miles and miles. Like I say they are all Airbnb. It’s a case of getting everything together new jobs etc and then just leaving. It’s sad because it’s over 20 years of our lives. My daughter is at school here. It has never been such a big problem as it has in the last 5 years there were always options to move on before but Airbnb has just taken over massively.

Barcelona???

I feel for you OP, it's a dreadful state of affairs.
Tourism is out of control, but it's such a lucrative business that I can't see any easy way out for the real residents.

Can't offer advice, just hope you can find a solution in the near future.

Er, no, hotels are being used for the "purposes" you so snidely insinuate because Airbnb has destroyed their business model.

@FernandoFeathers yeah I do understand that price is always going to be a major factor. I remember going on holiday with my parents and staying in apartments in the 90’s but these were purpose built people didn’t live there at the same time. Everyone was on holiday so that kind of makes communal living easier when you are all having fun. When you have to get up for work in the morning it’s really soul destroying. We have had a health scare recently so not being able to relax in the one place you should be able to relax is hard

We choose air b n bs, because we do multiple cities in one trip and want to wash clothes, cook for ourselves sometimes etc. We do however remember that people actually live there and are quiet, respectful, don't slam doors ever, don't make any noise past about 9pm etc like we would in our own home.

I agree OP, air b&b is an infuriating business - and it has strayed so far away from what it was originally set up as, and just become a nightmare. I live in London and I am SO glad it is not a thing in the development in which I live as it’s banned under the terms of living/owning here.

Surely other people who live in your building permanently are having the same issues? I would see if you can get them on board and complain as a group.

Hotels (I’m in Ireland ) are absolutely extortionate. We looked into staying one night in a standard double (very mid range hotel ) and it was €300 and did not include breakfast….. popular area with tourist but omg..
@itsafan have you seen the prices for hotels ?

I'm so sorry. There is far, far too much tourism these days

@Jojimoji I don’t want to give my exact location just because my anxiety is so high at the moment I’ve even talked myself into thinking what if my landlord is on mumsnet (yes I know 😂). It is Spain though yes.

I think you should contact the owners via your local council and explain the issues. Which country are you in???

I don’t think it’s entirely air BnB to blame. Essentially you’ve been priced out of your area and as you are renting you have little security. Can you find a way to earn more so it would be affordable? Expensive housing is often an issue; even if those places weren’t on air b n b it sounds like you wouldn’t be able to afford to buy one. There are lots of reasons why people prefer to do short term rentals rather than a longer tenancy; in many cases it offers less vulnerability for the landlord than a long term tenant, especially if you’re in a country where eviction is very difficult (eg in France).
can you call the police on the noise disturbance?? That shouldn’t be happening whoever is in the flats!

@mononeedshelp I think you are really considerate for doing that honestly you sound like such a nice person. And yeah I hadn’t considered the washing etc so that’s a good point.

Just saw you’re in Spain. Contact your council and also the police when there’s noise. Do you have a residents group for the building? You could see if the other residents would vote for no air bnb policy.. if you’re in the majority it might happen.

@itsafan This is absolutely shit for you but if you are saying you really have no right to prevent it and you've been there for years, the only way to deal with this is to see it as an opportunity to try something different, a change is often daunting at first but is good for us. Your health and peace of mind is more important, for you and your daughter. How old is she? Is a totally new school and area a possibility? If not, what are your other options?