Buying next to house let for short rental...bad idea?

[Greenfairydust]

I saw a small 2 bed semi with a small garden I really liked today, decent condition and on a small, well kept estate I have had my eye on for a while.

I was chatting to the tenant who has lived there for 20 years and when I asked her about neighbours she mentioned that the house next door (not the other semi but next house separated by the driveway) is a holiday let (not advertised on Airbnb, I checked).

She said she has never had any issues with the guests, but still this has made me uncomfortable.

This a small quiet seaside town but there are quite a few holiday lets obviously because of the location.

I found the listing for that house on booking.com and it states that it is only available for people with no kids and not available for groups/parties. They seem to target people who want to play golf in the nearby golf course and older people with pets.

Should I not take the risk?

It is a shame because I really like the house, the tenant has lived there for decades and seemed very sad to leave so it is unlikely the rentals have caused issues of far but it really is not ideal.

I do love the house though so I am very unsure as to what to do.

At least you know that the owner is ‘responsible’ and will only accept certain type of guests. Could you not put 6ft fences up to block any intrusion to your privacy?
If the current tenant has had no issues, it’s unlikely you will have any either..

I would be wary too, as they could start accepting families or hen parties at any time I suppose.

But then if you buy in a tourist location, your next door neighbour could sell to or start a holiday let at any time.

At least any awful people are only there for a short time and the owner will keep the house in good repair and looking nice.

We have similar property next door. The landlord is similarly fussy with who she lets to and offers short lets not on Airbnb. They have been perfect neighbours in the year we have lived here- quiet, respectful and much less hassle than other neighbours!

I should add the owner does not allow pets but does allow children. We live in a quiet village which is close to several tourist spots. The guests tend to be couples or business people.

Thank you for all the replies so far.

''@Smileyoriley ·
I should add the owner does not allow pets but does allow children. We live in a quiet village which is close to several tourist spots. The guests tend to be couples or business people.''

I think they allow pets because this is a very dog-friendly town! literally almost everyone has dogs and walks them on the seafront at the weekend :).

@donttellmehesalive
''I would be wary too, as they could start accepting families or hen parties at any time I suppose. But then if you buy in a tourist location, your next door neighbour could sell to or start a holiday let at any time.''

Yes there are many of these holiday lets in the part of town that is from walking distance to the beach and you are right that I can't control who moves in next door.

The garden and house are tiny so it would not accommodate large groups realistically. They are tiny!

My other options would be to buy further out in the town (which I don't really want as I don't drive) or buy a Victorian terrace in a street which is less ''pretty'', so unlikely to attract airbnbs.

I think I might take a few more days to think about it and try to see a couple more houses. The estate agent let me see this one before it went on the market but I'd rather take the risk of losing the house and have someone else makes an offer than act in haste.