An Airbnb near Sefton Park is causing chaos with all night parties, strippers and rowdy guests.
The property on the corner of Ullet Road and Croxteth Road is made up of three houses, with each sleeping between 16-24 guests. Popular with hen and stag dos, the houses were advertised on two separate Airbnb listings - since the ECHO investigated, the listings have been removed - and through a website called Kate and Toms at a cost of between £2,000-£3,500 for a weekend. The property owner has told the ECHO they "do not endorse or promote parties of any kind".
In a video taken at 12.45am on Saturday, September 3, guests staying inside one of the houses can be heard screaming and shouting from down the street. Andrea Ku, who lives in the area, said the noise had become progressively louder from 10pm as she took to Twitter to share the footage.
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Andrea told the ECHO: "I have gone down the right routes of contacting the council and contacting Airbnb. I thought I'm going to have to do this as a post because there must be other people who are suffering out there."
Andrea said a man could be seen trying to climb over the front wall to join the party, before guests shouted at him to leave. She said: "I don't mind if they're not screaming until two or three o'clock in the morning and playing music until really late or early in the morning.
"It's nice to have fun and have a party, and celebrate people getting married, but at the same time have a bit of respect if you're staying in a residential area. People who live nearby have got to get up for work, they might have kids or they just don't want the noise."
Andrea said she's complained to Airbnb and the council on a number of occasions over the last three years about noise coming from the properties, which she says is worse when all three houses are occupied. She said: "During the first lockdown there was nothing because no one was allowed to stay, but over the last year there's been more people staying.
"It's not every week, it's every two or three weeks you'll get a noisy party in. Some of the guests, don't get me wrong, some are very respectful and have consideration for the local environment and residential area - it's just the odd one.
"I remember one party and the music was on until 7 o'clock in the morning on Sunday morning."
The Airbnb listings state the houses are not to be used as a party venue. However, a listing for one of the houses on a different website tells guests to "get the party started just over the road from Sefton Park" with "three floors of fun and frolics for stags and hens."
Chris Russell, 41, said a family member was staying at his flat on Croxteth Road when she saw a stripper in the window of one of the houses. He said: "You've got floor to ceiling windows here - I think people think they're one way.
"What surprises me is it's a residential area. The music is never offensively loud, it's mostly screaming. They tend to arrive at eight in the evening and immediately start making a racket."
"It's very obvious they come in with no regard for area at all and disappear again."
Airbnb announced a permanent ban on all parties and events in listings globally in June this year, after introducing a temporary measure during the pandemic. The company said the party ban became "much more than a public health measure", with the number of complaints made about parties having dropped by 63% in the UK since its launch in August 2020.
Councillors representing the city centre, Anfield and Greenbank - where so-called party-lets have become an increasing problem - say there is an issue with a lack of clear legislation at present to control and regulate what takes place with these rentals.
A motion was put forward by Cllrs Nick Small, Christine Banks, Laura Robertson-Collins, James Roberts, Lena Simic and Billy Marratt last week in a bid to raise awareness of the issue and suggest new powers for the council when it comes to the management of the situation going forward.
The motion, which was put before the council's Strategic Development and Housing Committee on September 1, calls for the development of a Tourist Accommodation Registration Scheme in England - a move currently being consulted on by government.
It's hoped new legislation, if approved, could give local councils greater powers to take action over so-called party lets and allow council officers to obtain a register of addresses and the property owner's contact details.
Councillor Laura Robertson-Collins, who represents the Greenbank Ward, said she is aware of complaints that have been made against the short-term lets on Ullet Road and Croxteth Road and is keen for all Airbnbs in the city to be registered as businesses.
Cllr Robertson-Collins said: "I do absolutely urge residents to keep reporting all these issues to the council, even if it can't be dealt with at that time, building up that body of evidence against that property.
"Keep telling local councillors and keep reporting it to the council - you can do that online - and keep reporting it to the police. As a council we are trying to get more powers and they should be registered as businesses."
The property owner told the ECHO: "We don’t endorse or promote parties of any kind at our properties. All of our listings state parties are not permitted and guests are vetted prior to booking acceptance.
"We also don’t accept guests who live in Liverpool or surrounding areas and have a two night minimum stay in order to deter large gatherings. We only let groups book with a maximum number of guests of 16 and our house rules state that only guests who are checked in within that number are permitted on the property.
"We also ask that guests don’t use the outdoor spaces and keep noise to a minimum between the hours of 10pm and 8am. We do find that a lot of our bookings are from wedding parties, but as we only accept guests from outside the local area, we find that the properties are used mainly as a base and guests spend the majority of their stay outside of the accommodation."
After the ECHO approached Airbnb for comment, the company said it had suspended the listings on Ullet Road and Croxteth Road while it investigates. An Airbnb spokesperson said: “Parties are banned on Airbnb, and we have suspended these listings while we investigate.
"We are committed to being good partners to local communities and our dedicated 24/7 neighbourhood support line enables anyone concerned about a listing to contact us at any time, and we investigate all reports received.
"The overwhelming majority of our community are respectful neighbours and travellers, and we take action on anyone who violates our policies.”
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