So I live in a touristy part of Scotland, and my street is absolutely overrun with “secondary lets” (i.e. someone buys a house in addition to their normal home, and instead of being a normal scumlord, they turn it into a short term rental situation like AirBnB). If you search on my street on booking.com or airbnb, there’s a total of 9 that I’m able to count-- and we’re a small street! And the next door neighbour has posted a notice on their window that they’re seeking a licence to become an AirBnB themselves.
Things of note:
- They’re already operating as a short term let. And it’s obnoxious. And eroding the community spirit of the, well, community. Because a tourist here for a week is not a member of the street’s community.
- When I say next door, I mean I live in a semi-detached house, so this airbnb is/“would be” literally attached to my house. (Americans, think duplex if that terminology is more familiar)
- I literally have not been able to meet the owner of this airbnb in the year I’ve lived here, which sucks because hey, I like to know my neighbours! But also because we had a rat problem in winter and their side of the building had a massive gaping hole in the front exterior wall, which the exterminator wanted to fill but couldn’t because it wasn’t our property. We left letters for the owner, even just to introduce ourselves, no dice. I’m salty, yes.
So on to the point of this post. I submitted an objection to this licencing, and was informed of its safe receipt today! But uh they also said in the email “there will be a meeting to discuss the licencing, you are invited to attend and make your objections in person”
I’m not exactly a stranger to public speaking, or trying to be persuasive. But I’m autistic as fuck, out of practice with said public speaking, and also like 8 months pregnant. But I recognise that showing up to speak is going to be influential, moreso than my letter. So I’m gonna haul my pregnant autistic ass to the wherever and make my statements. I do feel like being a heavily pregnant person is going to help my case from an emotional standpoint? Who knows.
But oh god. I’m nervous. I want to have solid facts, solid arguments behind my case. I don’t want to come off as a petty NIMBY, I want to present myself as someone who cares about communities being eroded, who cares about people being unable to find affordable housing because everyone and their cat wants an airbnb, and I want to have sources to back myself up. I just feel a bit lost in finding those sources and knowing what to say. Heck, I don’t even know what the council will ask! Or expect! Or what it’ll be like!
I am taking any and all advice. I’ll also be scrubbing the identifying details from my objection letter and sharing it in a comment here, if that’s helpful at all.
Do note: “You can do it!” is also a VERY welcome comment right now.
Content of my letter, identifiers redacted:
Objections to the Secondary Let licencing of [Next door property] To whom it may concern at [my] Council, My name is [Okasen], and I am writing to object to [Next door property] being permitted to operate as a Secondary/Short Term Let. As the owner and resident of [my property], I have great concerns about allowing this home to be used as a business, instead of as a home for a long-term resident.
Some of my discomfort stems from personal concerns; My partner and I are expecting our first child, and are worried about her growing up in immediate proximity to a revolving door of different residents (for reasons listed below). Community is important for raising children, and community safety moreso. I feel it is reasonable to want neighbours I can get to know over time. Quite frankly, if I had known that the home attached to my own [home] was going to become a neighbourhood-eroding business, I would not have purchased [home]!
Beyond personal concerns: The housing markets in the UK, particularly in tourist hotspots like [my city], are already struggling to keep up with the demand for homes for long-term residents who desire to live and work within [my city]. I strongly feel that we should not be pushing long-term residents out of the city in favour of private businesses.
My specific concerns and reasonings are as follows:
Anti-social behaviour and noise disturbances associated with Short Term Lets [Next door property] has been running as a Short Term Let for some time now, with visitors frequently coming and going. While some of these visitors are well-mannered, others tend towards more anti-social and noisy behaviours such as: Leaving dogs inside the property alone for hours at a time, which cause noise disturbances with non-stop barking and crying. Loud behaviour and activities, sometimes late into the night– understandable as many of these visitors are on holiday, but becomes a nuisance in a semi-detached home.
Degradation of Neighbourhood Spirit and Community
The pedestrian subway entrance to [my] Street is decorated with a photo collage celebrating the community that inhabits the street. A community is made and maintained by long-term inhabitants. When more and more homes are repurposed as short-term lets, we hinder the ability of long-term residents to move in and maintain the community spirit. A street like [my] Street, which proudly celebrates its community history, needs to have that community-based history and future protected.
In the time where this property has operated as a Short Term Let prior to being licenced, it has been incredibly difficult to communicate with the owner of the property about issues related to the building. As [next door property] is attached to [my property], it is imperative that we can communicate about problems relating to the shared building. Unfortunately, with a revolving door of residents coming and going, even notes left through the post box go unnoticed or are not responded to.
Oversaturation of short term lets operating on [my] Street: On just Booking.com, it is possible to see 7 properties up for short term letting, along with another 2 currently visible on airbnb. A street cannot dedicate 9 homes to short term lets if it wishes to remain a community. I feel these concerns that I have laid out clearly show how a short term let is not an appropriate use of [next door property]. My name and address can be found below for this objection:
[No they can’t, not anymore lol]
I also want to make it clear that I don’t mind the current owner making the next door property a long term let. I rented for a long time and am only not-renting now due to resounding luck in career aptitude. And realistically, if the owner was to sell the property, it’s most likely gonna be another landlord buying it because gestures at societal failures.
I’m not sure I can help with the content of your speech, because I’m not very knowledgable in this area - but for what it’s worth, your argument in writing is, I think, well thought-out and touches on many concerns that should be quite popular with a city council. Also because I think subletting of the air-bnb typically means less taxes for the town when compared with a hotel or similar, at least in some areas. Residents complaining as well, with reasons both personal and communal, probably strengthens their case against that (which they might have).
In short - I totally think you can do this! And I think being invited to council, if it’s not standard procedure, could be a sign that they want to give your issue more visibility, so they can help you (and thus themselves) better! (And yes, in that case, being heavily pregnant is probably also a big advantage, indeed.)
Good luck!
You CAN do it. The crux of the issue is that the other owner is making themselves unavailable for issues that effect you. You have a maintenance concern that’s causing damage, from their side of the property.
If they were going to operate the property as a responsible business, they would be doing it already. I wouldn’t believe they will start just because they get a licence.