Condo owner does battle with the AirBnB next door

Condo and apartment dwellersacross the countryare now doing battle in the hallways of their owns buildings, as neighbours grapple with a problem that didn't exist even five years ago.

Edmonton'sNinettaTavanois one of thosecaught up in this latest NIMB not in my building issue.

At the end of August,she noticed strangers parking their cars beside her stall, and going in and out of unit next to hersinthe View, acondominiumbuildingatthe top ofGriersonHill.

Eventually,Tavanoconfronted one coupleafter theyparked their car, and asked if they were in the right stall.

"I let them know that parking space was taken, and that they shouldn't likely park there," she said. "And they saidthey were guests withAirBnB, and that a man named Sam had provided them with instructions for that parking space. And that's how I found out."

AirBnBis a massiveononline marketplace thatallowspeople to rent or list accommodations aroundthe world.Itswebsiteboasts homes for rentfor a night or longer in more than190countries.

Sam Woods and his half-brother NeilCoadylisted theirempty condo in the View in August, and it has been booked ever since.

Woods said he andCoadybought the condo last year as ajoint investment.After travelling and staying in severalAirBnBunits himself, Woods came up with the idea torent their empty condo the same way.

Renting has been agreat way to bringin extra cash, Woods said.

ButTavanowas neverhappy having all those strangers rightnext door.

'This is my home'

"When I realized it was anAirBnB, I was really upset," she said. "This is my home, and here I have a hotel room, essentiallynow,right next to me. I was certainly upset about that. I was upset that he didn't check with me."

Woods said the condo board has sent emailsasking them to stop renting the unit, because doing so is against condo board rules.

"They basically sent us an emailsaying they're shutting us down,"Woods said from his home in Calgary. "I just kind of thought this is a nice way to supplement our income while we try and figure out how to sell this place."

For now, that's all any condo board really has the power to do, said Steve Thomas with the Association of Condominium Managers of Alberta, anot-for-profit professional association for condo managers acrossthe province..

Thomassaid more and more condo boards and ownersare having to deal with units in their buildings being rented out by online businesses such asAirBnB.

Many boards are discoveringthattheir rules and bylawsare outdated.

"AirBnBdidn't exist two years ago when we updated the act," Thomas said from his office in Calgary. "Even then, it was a much smaller venture than what exists now.

"It's whether or not it's a commercial venture or residence, that's not well-defined yet in any jurisdiction in Alberta. And as far as we've been able to research, it hasn't gone to Court of Queen's bench."

Few complaints in Edmonton

In cities like Vancouver and Toronto,where rental markets are tighter than in Edmonton and Calgary, city councils have looked at possible licensing forAirBnBs, though nothing has been created yet, Thomas said.

In Edmonton, the city's bylaw department said there are no regulations in effect to deal withAirBnB, and so far they've had few complaints.

On theAirBnBprofile for the condo Woods owns in the View, at9503101stAve., thecustomer reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.

Mark from Ottawa wrote: "The apartment is spacious and airy with a great view." He added:"The neighbour is very pleasant."

But that neighbourthinksrules are rules, and turning a condo into a full-time AirBnBrental shouldn't be allowed.

For his part, Woods saidhe's willing to comply withthe condo board, for now.

"I don't know if I have any legal rights to fight this," he said. "This is not something that we're super passionate about. It was kind of a side project ... a short-term solution until we sell it or find a long-term renter. It's just not something I'm looking to die on a sword on, so I think we're just going to back down. There's part of me that hates to say that, because I think it's really overblown."

This week, Tavano said,there are still people coming and going from the unit next door.

The place is scheduled to be rented from Oct. 21untilthe end of the month, Woods said.

He still isn't sure about what to do with thosecustomers afamily coming all the way from the Philippines for a visit.