airbnb hell

[miri1985]

A friend of mine who lives on the other side of the country has come to me for advice as she knows I was in the same position last year. She lives in a semi-d in a touristy part of the country and next door is now an airbnb.

The same happened to me and it was 6 months of hell, constant parties and even when they were not on, the worry and the frequent occurance that the people staying there would come home drunk at 3am and start making trouble.

When it happened to us, we contacted the landlord (who was well aware but was getting increased rent so turned a blind eye), the council (who were great but took 6 months to get it to stop) and airbnb who said they would not take down the listing despite it not having planning permission because they are "unable to take further action or mediate disputes regarding violations of local laws or 3rd party agreements".

Is there any other advice that you would give to her apart from calling the council? Its the route we took but honestly if we knew how long it would have taken we would have sought legal advice at the beginning. Is there a legal route she can take to get it shut down quicker than the council will?

I had some great revenge fantasies while it was happening like getting out my sander at 7am after their guests were up late drinking and causing a racket but just like us she has nice other neighbours so I doubt she would do that

You don't necessarily need planning permission for Airbnb. It depends where you live and how many days a year you will rent. You certainly need planning permission in London if renting for more than 90 days a year. I'm not aware of anywhere else requiring planning.

If the property is leasehold they may be in breach of their lease, so reporting them to the freeholder may produce results. Other than that, you can't get them shut down just because they are an Airbnb. You need evidence that they are causing a nuisance to take to the council.

I believe Airbnb now have a way for neighbours to register a complaint. If problems persist the host can be removed from the site. However, make sure any complaints registered are factual.

There may be an action available under private nuisance but evidence such as times and dates and extent of the nuisance is needed. The complaint is made to the magistrates court. Google it for more info.

I believe Airbnb now have a way for neighbours to register a complaint. If problems persist the host can be removed from the site.

Thanks for taking the time to reply but they had this feature when it was next to me also and their standard response is that they won't get involved, several people complained and everyone got the same answer.

The houses are semi-detached so her house was built under the same planning permission and its intended use is a single family home so airbnb is a material change of use. Our house is nowhere near London and the council said that their decision was based on the original planning permission and the impact it would have on the neighbours especially those that share a wall.

Joe2019 thanks private nuisance looks like it could be a goer

The houses are semi-detached so her house was built under the same planning permission and its intended use is a single family home so airbnb is a material change of use

It depends. In general, renting out a house for short periods of time does not require planning permission. The house is still a family dwelling. However, permanent use for short term lets may be a change of use requiring planning permission. Councils have been reluctant to test the law in this area so, as I say, it depends where the host lives and how many days a year they intend to rent.

The flat above ours in London is rented out on Airbnb. We share a staircase. I will tell DD who lives there to count the weeks!

However only one renter has been a problem. The owner wouldn’t listen to my DD when she said his furniture was being moved around and they were having lots of guests round. They were lounging on the shared stairs and she had to walk past to get out of the flat and back in again. They were all men and she felt threatened. After a week my DH laid the law down with the owner and he contacted Airbnb and they terminated the contract. The renter is blacklisted.

DD went to inspect the flat with the owner after it was vacated and it was, apparently, disgusting. It’s a one bed flat and there were around 8 in it every night. Food and rubbish were all over the floor and the furniture was moved around. The kitchen was awful. However Airbnb did act but the owner didn’t want to confront these people. They were intimidating.

We don’t like that it’s used as an Airbnb. Although mostly it’s just decent couples who want a London flat for a week with good transport links. No problems and no hassle. When there was a problem, it was bad for the neighbours and the owner. Be prepared to hassle the owner and Airbnb. (DH threatened to lock them out by changing the front door lock if they were not removed. )

You could try doing a land registry search, seeing if there is a mortgage on the property and drawing the use as Air BnB to the lenders attention.

You'd need to be careful in how you worded the letter so it was not defamatory but if there is a mortgage 9 times out 10 AirBnb use will be in breach of the terms and conditions.

PerryMasonsFriend thats a great idea, thanks

Also this is exactly the sort of thing that a local Councillor and/or your MP can help with. They may be very keen to help currently to get your vote for their party.