A resident of Edinburgh’s New Town has spoken out about the “intolerable” behaviour of a string of Airbnb guests – after finding a pile of human excrement in her stairwell.
Tanya Ivackovic, who has a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old son, lives in the same townhouse as a flat being used for short-term lets.
Despite complaining to the property owners and management company, she has failed to stop the flow of guests – whose drunken antics, screaming and late-night noise is making her life a misery.
Ms Ivackovic’s horror story comes as Edinburgh City Council has pledged to adopt a new strategy regarding short lets.
A recent report showed 1.1 million Airbnb stays were booked in the city in 2017 – and that the majority were from owners who let multiple properties.
The situation reached a crescendo when she discovered the human excrement. ‘The stink was appalling’ “I had to get my gloves and bottles of bleach,” Ms Ivackovic said. “The stink was appalling and it is not the responsibility of the Airbnb cleaners.
The owners of the flat aren’t there to do it, so we are left to clean up after them.” Ms Ivackovic said, to add insult to injury, her personal house insurance was rendered void if the lock box – used to access keys to short-term rent properties – was visible near a front door.
Neighbour Stuart Briggs, 72, has suffered a heart attack and a stroke recently and said the situation was frightening and stressful.
He has been left scared after guests staying in the Airbnb mistook his front door for their own late at night.
‘Zero tolerance’ Ms Ivackovic said she was not averse to Airbnb as she herself has run a property on the site, but called for responsible management and an understanding of the impact poor guests can have on neighbours.
She said the situation at her New Town home was so dire she is considering moving.
A spokesperson for Airbnb said: “We have a zero tolerance policy on bad behaviour in listings and are actively investigating these claims. “The overwhelming majority of hosts and guests on Airbnb are good neighbours and respectful travellers.
When we are made aware of issues, we take appropriate action, including permanently banning bad actors from the platform.”