Neighbours in a family-friendly community have slammed an Airbnb party house after a property rented out individual rooms, causing chaos in the once-peaceful neighbourhood.
Residents in Wantirna, Melbourne, claim their street, Blackfriars Close, has become riddled with crime after the rooms of a home were advertised on Airbnb for $25 a night.
The short-stay residence has negatively affected the local community with residents saying its brought littering and badly-behaved guests, the Herald Sun reported.
Mum-of-two Natalie Mitchell said the four-bedroom house used as an Airbnb was discovered in June.
Residents in Wantirna, Melbourne, claim their street, Blackfriars Close (pictured), has become riddled with crime after the rooms of a home were advertised on Airbnb for $25 a night
‘Can you imagine the calibre of people that have been coming into our court?’ she said.
‘It started off with overflowing rubbish, multiple cars, people coming and going at all hours of the night or early morning, and then we had a few more sinister things happen.’
Ms Mitchell said one Airbnb tenant allegedly stabbed a taxi driver in an attempted robbery.
She said a neighbour reported a ‘peeping Tom’ while she was in a bathroom and another neighbour had rubbish dumped in their yard.
In another incident, which could be connected to tenants at the property, a truck was stolen from an adjacent street.
The residents have been forced to ban their children from playing outside amid the threats from tenants staying at the property.
The short-stay residence has negatively affected the local community with residents saying its brought littering and badly-behaved guests (stock image)
Ms Mitchell said the Airbnb landlord would screen guests to prevent more problems.
But Ms Mitchell wants to shut the house down.
‘Safety is my main concern – it looks like it’s bringing crime to our area,’ she said.
The neighbours have reportedly taken their issues to Knox Council, Consumer Affairs Victoria and local politicians.
Ms Mitchell said she hopes the laws could change in Victoria to give residents more of a voice in regards to their streets.
The residents have been forced to ban their children from playing outside amid the threats from tenants staying at the property (stock image)
Knox Council Mayor Jake Keogh said they were investigating concerns regarding the Airbnb but could not provide detail due to privacy reasons.
Consumer Affairs Victoria spokesman Ben Radisich said they did not have jurisdiction to regulate short-stay accommodation at private stand-alone houses.
Airbnb spokesman Julian Crowley said specific concerns about a listing should be raised on the online ‘Neighbour Tool’.