Letting rules could save us from rowdy neighbours

Kirsty Mcluckie on the rise of holiday homes

hile living in a spot that other people want to visit is usually a privilege, having a constantly changing stream of holidaymakers as your neighbours can produce problems.

Our rural home is in a village with more than its fair share of holiday cottages, busy through the summer months with tourists.

They certainly add to the local economy but there are wider concerns about the eroding of the community and the falling school rolls, because so few houses are occupied by permanent residents.

A quarter of a mile from my house is a large country estate which is let by the night to groups, and that can create its own challenges.

The farmers are sick of the firework displays accompanying groups celebrating weddings or birthdays and have had to protest about the use of fire balloons which have been found entangled in sheep’s fleeces.

Sometimes boisterous gatherings can be heard resounding over the fields, but it is far enough away from other properties not to cause too much of a problem.

For us, we have learned to live with the cars mistakenly arriving every Friday night in our drive, looking for the big house.

It is not usually a problem to redirect them, although last month we had to help extract a minibus full of visitors which had somehow become bogged down on our lawn late at night after a wrong turn.

The hapless guests apologised profusely and sent flowers the next day so they were forgiven, although the lawn hasn’t recovered.

I couldn’t be too exasperated with them anyway. A young couple, they had driven the 450 miles from London that day with their eight small children in the back.

I suspect they had experienced a worse day that I’d had, despite the damage to the greenery.

When becoming a little impatient at such shenanigans, we have to remember that the tourist pound keeps open amenities such as shops, galleries and pubs. Without it, they would presumably struggle.

The rise of Airbnb and similar accommodation providers in cities produces other problems.

If you live in a block with a high percentage of short-term rental properties, you may find your neighbours wanting to party when you want an early night in the working week.

As such, living in a block with a high proportion of holiday lets may eventually devalue your property, but some highend developers are taking steps to guard against that outcome.

Dunedin House Properties (DHP) is currently developing ten flats from former offices in two townhouses in Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh.

The title deeds for these will have a “no holiday lets” clause; owners will be able to rent as long term but not for holiday and short term on sites such as Airbnb or booking.com.

Stuart Peters of DHP explains: “While 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.”

As the rise of shotterm lets shows no sign of abating, residents of affected blocks might consider a similar move.