Bath is being ‘ruined’ by Airbnb ‘party houses’, councillor claims

One of Britain’s poshest cities is being ruined by rubbish from Airbnb ‘party houses’, locals have claimed.

Angry residents in Bath, Somerset have hit out at the booking website after spotting mess on the street outside a number of flats and homes.

They say the homes are mostly Airbnbs – and claim the temporary guests generate large amounts of waste.

The residents claim the rubbish is left outside and ravaged by seagulls – or even dumped in basements which attract rats. 

Councillor David Wood said: ‘While many Airbnbs are run responsibly, there are some that cause problems for their neighbours in terms of noise and rubbish.

‘Because Airbnbs aren’t licensed, like many local authorities up and down the country, Bath & North East Somerset Council has no special powers to restrict them or deal with the problems they can cause.

Bath resident Aline Tayar said multiple occupants renting a house for a party often generate a great deal of rubbish. There is no suggestion the rubbish is in front of an Airbnb

‘We want to see the government change the rules on Airbnbs so they can be controlled better and will be lobbying for this.

‘In the meantime what we can do is ask people to report issues to the council – for example, when they see rubbish which has been put out on the wrong day or not recycled.

‘We need the public’s help to find which Airbnbs are causing these waste problems.’

Bath resident Aline Tayar said multiple occupants renting a house for a party often generate a great deal of rubbish.

She claims it is then sometimes left in bags in front basements – an attraction for seagulls and rats.

Another person said online: ‘Would be nice if something could be done – on the street I live in central Bath there are at least two of these Airbnbs.’

But Airbnb has hit back and said there is ‘no evidence’ its guests are negatively contributing to litter in Bath.

The residents claim the rubbish is left outside and ravaged by seagulls – or even dumped in basements which attract rats. There is no suggestion the rubbish is in front of an Airbnb and this image is used for stock purposes only [File photo]

A spokeswoman said: ‘Airbnb is built on the principles of making communities stronger, and promoting healthy, sustainable travel.

‘Guests using Airbnb generate less waste, reduce energy and water consumption, and generate fewer greenhouse gases than guests staying in big hotels, according to expert analysis.

‘The majority of guests say they choose Airbnb to experience life like a local, 94% of hosts say they incorporate green practices into hosting, and hosts typically provide guidance and house rules on matters like recycling, composting and waste disposal.’

Airbnb was unable to provide specific data on their listings in Bath.

A targeted search on its website comes up with 96 results for 10 guests or more and 300+ for two people.