A neighbour has complained to Auckland Council after the Grey Lynn Airbnb next door was the site of what she described as a source of noisy parties and a constant flow of strangers. Video / Supplied
A series of alleged boozy celebrations and noisy guests at a $1700 per night Airbnb has soured relations between a resident of a leafy Auckland street and the owner of the boutique accommodation.
The neighbour, who did not want to be identified, says the nine-bedroom short-term rental has turned lifein her idyllic Grey Lynn villa into a waking nightmare.
But the owner of The Village Reserve accommodation in Dryden St says the neighbour has blown the issues out of proportion, and once reported a vacuum cleaner as a noise concern.
He has installed a range of mitigating measures to reduce the risk of disruptive groups, including noise monitors and CCTV surveillance.
He says he specialises in boutique family and group accommodation and has no intention of running a party house.
Auckland Council investigated following complaints and found no breaches of the Unitary Plan. Two noise control complaints this year did not yield evidence of a breach, a Council spokeswoman said.
The neighbour, a mother with a new baby, made several complaints to the Council.
Multiple cars parked on the street by guests and visitors to the rental has irked the neighbour. Photo / Supplied
She said the business, operating out of a recently renovated villa opposite Grey Lynn Park, started slowly late in 2020 amid Covid restrictions and closed borders, but was now occupied more often than not by large groups.
"So the level of noise and destruction has increased from high to being absolutely unbearable," she wrote in one complaint on August 30.
One weekend saw 16 people including children staying at once.
"The cars would drive up and down the driveway all the time, guests talking very loudly during the night, laughing and dancing.
"The following day there were guests packing at 2am at night ready to leave. They talked in a full voice saying goodbye to each other, starting their cars and we heard banging noise from the closing doors.
"The night after that there were guests with a big dog that barked … three nights in a row. When they left I discovered bones and leftovers from dog food buried at the back of their house very close to our common border."
Photographic evidence supplied to the Council shows alcohol cans littering the garden.
Videos captured during one party and supplied to the Council shows a raucous group of guests yelling and swearing in footage resembling the aftermath of a Melbourne Cup.
Further complaints described more rough nights with guests disturbing the sleep of her family and their newborn baby.
The woman told the Herald the issues were worsening and she feared what summer would bring.
"It gets worse every day," she said.
"It's a nightmare now. We hate it, we just hate it."
Drunken guests of the rental on Dryden St photographed by the neighbour. Photo / Supplied
The woman also worried what the busy accommodation facility next door would do to property values.
"I don't know where we're going to go."
The Village Reserve accommodation falls under the Auckland Unitary Plan's rules for a Residential – Single House Zone.
Under those rules, visitor accommodation for up to 10 people is a permitted activity, meaning resource consent is not required.
Accommodation for more than 10 people including staff and visitors is a discretionary activity, meaning resource consent is required.
A council staffer investigated the woman's complaint and initially believed the property could be in breach of visitor accommodation rules.
The villa is able to be rented as a whole or guests can rent one of two units within the home.
However, the fact the property was advertised as a single villa to rent rather than as individual rooms like a hotel was cited by the staffer as evidence there was no breach.
"Although the property is listed as being suitable for up to 18 people, it is not rented individually to 18 people," the Auckland Council staffer wrote.
The accommodation on Dryden St is within a hulking nine bedroom, 7.5 bathroom recently renovated villa. Photo / Supplied
"The house is rented under the name of a single person, as with most short-term rental properties. Therefore, it does not breach the visitor accommodation rules."
An Auckland Council spokeswoman confirmed it was still its position that a resource consent was not required for the current use of the Village Reserve.
The owner of the accommodation had already proactively applied for a resource consent before any contact from compliance staff, the spokeswoman said.
The neighbour was disappointed with the Council's decision and called for Auckland to have more restrictive conditions on short-term Airbnb style rentals, such as in Queenstown, where resource consents are required in all cases, and difficult to obtain for more than 180 nights per year.
The owner of the Village Reserve building and business is Steven Ingram, of Waiheke Island, who said he specialises in boutique accommodation for families and groups in Auckland.
Ingram said he is saddened by the acrimony that has developed and described the woman as friendly with a lovely family.
"I've developed the property to be a beautiful place for people to stay," he said.
"We would never want raging parties there because of wear and tear and the impact on the neighbours."
Because of her concerns, they had created a reporting group chat and installed noise monitors and CCTV.
"Our online accommodation listings warn people of noise monitors, and guests are told we have a $500 fine if a security guard is called to evict guests on a third alert.
"We have not needed to do this."
The neighbour said she had filed a complaint with the Ombudsman regarding the response of Auckland Council.
