Banned, Airbnb owner boasting ‘nice’ guests only

‘Issues of noise and disturbance’

A WOMAN who insisted she only let her flats to people on Airbnb who sounded ‘nice’ has been banned from renting out the properties.

Roberta Giorgini owns two flats in the Leith area of Edinburgh and she advertised them on the booking site.

She claimed her neighbours at both flats were not against her using her properties as shortterm lets.

But following a complaint, a probe was launched by City of Edinburgh Council.

It identified high noise levels, disturbance to other residents and a high turnover of guests as issues with the flats.

This breached planning laws and it ordered Miss Giorgini to stop letting out the properties.

One of her flats had only one bedroom but was advertised as sleeping four people.

A noise complaint about that property led to an investigation into her other nearby flat, which has two bedrooms and was available for six people.

Miss Giorgini appealed the ruling to the Scottish Government but a government reporter has backed the council’s decision.

This means Miss Giorgini will have to stop letting out the flats immediately, unless she appeals to the Court of Session.

In a letter to support her appeal, Miss Giorgini wrote: ‘This is not a pub or a bar where people come to have fun and there is no disturbance.

‘Before I accept an inquiry, I ask for more information and if they don’t sound right and they are young, then I refuse the application.

‘I rent the apartment only to people who sound nice and polite, not to people aiming to have a party inside it. I am selfemployed. If I have to rent all year, I will become unemployed and all my family life will be upside down.’

In its ruling, City of Edinburgh Council said: ‘By virtue of the pattern of activity associated with the use, including the considerable turnover of people and the issues of noise and disturbance, the use constitutes a material change of use.

‘The character of the use is not compatible with the residential flatted building.’

Rejecting Miss Giorgini’s appeal, government reporter Don Rankin said: ‘There remains the potential for such a level of disturbance, with noise of arrivals and departures and the repeated presence of strangers in the communal entrance.’

Earlier this month, the Scottish Government revealed councils are to be given powers to tackle problems caused by the rapid growth of Airbnb-style holiday lets in many areas of Scotland. Councils will be able to introduce licensing schemes for short-term lets from 2021.