A PROPERTY firm has banned owners from Airbnb in a bid to crack down on noise and other antisocial behaviour.
Dunedin House Properties is selling the apartments in Edinburgh’s upmarket West End – where a one bedroom property can fetch £550,000.
But the firm has inserted a clause in the title deeds that mean owners will not be able to offer their properties for short-term holiday lets.
The move means owners of the Georgian flats in Drumsheugh Gardens will miss out on the opportunity to rake in well over £1,000 a week.
Stuart Peters of Dunedin House Properties said: “We are in the process of creating luxury apartments for which buyers will be paying premium price.
“Those who intend to live there need to know that neighbouring flats will not have a constant stream of visitors.”
He added: “Whilst many tourists respect the peace and privacy of those around them, there are some whose behaviour leaves much to be desired.
“We are also aware that this is a huge business in Edinburgh, but these one-night wonders are often on full party mode whereas owners and long term residents have life and work which can be badly disrupted.”
No-one has yet moved in to the block of 10 two- to three-bedroomed flats, which feature underfloor heating, oak flooring and quartz or granite kitchen worktops as standard.
One homeowner living nearby, who asked not to be named, said: “It can only be a good thing if it means there’s no hen parties in the flats then great.
“It would lower the tone of the area and price of the street I think if they allowed holiday letting.”
But Moira Elias, who lives near to the recently-converted flats said: “I can’t understand why they would have something like this. That’s so bloody Edinburgh isn’t it?”
And Fiona Jones was equally mystified, saying: “There hasn’t been many problems with tourists but I’ve never let out my place and I don’t know any in my building that does.
“I know in the past there has been some problems with tourists unsure of how to use the correct bins outside and that’s caused a little rubbish on the street.”
A spokesman for said Airbnb said: “We remind hosts to check they have permission to share their space.
“We are having productive discussions with local policymakers on clear rules that support home sharing and clampdown on bad actors.”
In 2015 it was reported that thousands of Londoners were being blighted by mis-behaved tourists hosting noisy parties in flats let out for short stays.
Residents complained of once-quiet apartment blocks transformed into “hotels in all but name” by rogue tenants subletting their homes to rowdy groups of young tourists.
Earlier this month an Airbnb rental in London was turned into a pop-up nightclub for a 200-person party that sleep-deprived neighbours.
Last year, London mayor Sadiq Khan warned that the more lucrative short-term holiday rental service is reducing the number of long-term rentals in the capital.
