Short term rentals, long term headaches for residents in one Rotorua street

Tuesday, 4 July 2017

Jim Rofe outside one of the five short term rentals he said had driven residents' to distraction. This property has since been sold, and is no longer a short term rental.

Residents of a popular Rotorua holiday spot say they've had 'three years of hell' due to excessive drinking and partying from guests renting out short term accommodation for bucks' parties and hens' nights.

Those living in Sloane Ave, Tihiotonga, say living in the midst of five short term rental properties available for booking on websites such as Bookabach and Airbnb was becoming too much to bear.

Residents say the parties are driving them nuts.

The outraged residents all have similar stories about excessive drinking, partying, noise, bad language and the road suddenly full of cars.

While the majority of residents requested anonymity, one citing threats that had been made from one unruly party goer, Jim Rofe was happy to put his name to his concerns.

The short term rentals are often used for hens' parties.

* Renters made $1568 from Airbnb deal, pinged $1300 for breaching rental agreement

* Boom in Airbnb and holiday home accommodation**

'Someone's got to stand up and I don't frighten that easily,' he said.

'It started quiet and it just keeps getting worse and worse. The noise, the disturbance.'

He said one property is advertised as sleeping 20 people, and that all of the homes on the street have proved popular for people looking for locations for birthday parties, stag dos and hen nights.

'[They're] drinking and yahooing all night,' Rofe said.

'Over 20 people sleeping in just one house, eight or nine cars in the road.'

He said that over Christmas there were more than 50 people staying in just three of the houses.

Rofe and all the other residents' spoken to were eager to stress they did not object to people trying to make a second income using their property, but it had simply become too much for a quiet residential street.

Rofe's comments were echoed by a fellow resident, who wished to remain anonymous.

'The biggest issue is guests that are threatening, that's the worst case. Normally it's just the Bookabach's are full of people partying all hours,' he said.

They said the properties were always busy with guests over long weekends, and said things were so bad during the last Raggamuffin concert they had to leave their home.

'How can you have commercial activity going on in a residential area?

'In a residential area they shouldn't be there at all. It's changing the culture of the street.'

Rotorua Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson said council was aware of the concerns of a number of Sloane Ave residents, and promised council would be 'more proactive in following up with problems'.

He said that while council recently voted not to alter the 100 day limit over which a short term rental faced business rate taxing, council would maintain a watching brief.

'We've held the status quo and we will review short term holiday rentals,' he said.

'We've looked closely at what other councils such as Queenstown have done and they've not been without their problems.'

Bookabach general manager Peter Miles said the company was aware there had been complaints about noise and nuisance at short term rentals in Rotorua suburbs.

He said that typically, bach and holiday home owners cared about their properties so they have not provided guidelines for homeowners' to ensure guests good behaviour.

'It's up to each bach owner or property manager to define their own 'house rules.' We haven't needed to provide specific guidelines for bach owners on how to set house rules, but we encourage self-regulation, whereby homeowners address complaints directly with parties to resolve issues and complaints.'

Miles said Rotorua had seen a growth in short term rentals over the past three years, but acknowledged the importance of location.

'Where a small mid week barbecue at a bach on Lake Tarawera is not disruptive we acknowledge that the same barbecue taking place in a suburban Rotorua backyard might be viewed quite differently, especially if it's a school or work day the next day.'

Miles said owners should consult with neighbours about their house rules, and provide a way they can be contacted in the event of a problem.

'If you can't contact the homeowner directly, but you know the property was rented through Bookabach, you can send us an email to support@bookabach.co.nz and we will notify the owner on your behalf.

'We need to know the address of the property and the specifics of your complaint.'

For Sloane Ave residents there is some possible light at the end of the tunnel.

Two of the short term rentals have just been sold, though the new buyers - and their intentions - remain unknown.