Residents ‘in hell’ as staycationers party

Sleepless nights, out-of-control drinking and increasingly dangerous living conditions are creating ‘a living hell’ for city centre residents living next door to short-terms lets.

As neighbouring properties are turned into ‘party central’, demand is growing for tougher regulation of the sector.

This comes after it was revealed by the Council that just five landlords in the city, operating secondary properties as short-term lets, have sought planning permission for this. That’s despite legislation requiring this being introduced two years ago.

One resident who contacted this newspaper said their apartment had become encircled by short-term lets where eight people were regularly crammed into two-bed units.

“It is advertised on Airbnb for all to see . . . the clients that stay here are undoubtedly young and here to party,” she said, adding that loud music, screaming in the corridors and banging doors regularly kept her young child awake.

“Even the most decent of groups of this size are inevitably loud and disruptive.

“The environment is very intimidating in the common area with two illegal letting businesses operating and so much activity,” she said given the level of drinking that was taking place.

“This is a huge safety concern for our family on top of the fact that we cannot sleep. Our babysitter is even concerned and anxious about being here alone with the child when we are at work. This is a terribly stressful and invasive disruption to us all in our own home.”

A renter in the city centre told the City Tribune that 60 per cent of the apartments in the block where he lived were being operated as short-term lets. No planning permission had been sought, despite what was akin to a business operation.

“There are laundry carts blocking the refuse area and the tenants’ bike shed has been converted into a cleaning room. Not alone is there endless noise and disruption, but our facilities are being taken away from us,” he said.

He said apartments that had the potential to house up to 18 people were essentially off the market to facilitate this, while rents continued to sky-rocket.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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