Cancer-stricken Airbnb neighbour told to sell his home to ease stress

A number of homeowners are taking the fight to the growing phenomenon of Airbnb as rowdy renters cause problems for neighbours.

In the past decade, Airbnb hosts have welcomed more than 300 million guests into their homes, and they're aiming for one billion guests a year by 2028.

Sydney CBD resident Trish, along with other owners in her apartment block, is one of those fed-up with the problems she claims customers can cause.

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"So you would come home and there'd be people trying to get into your door with their keys because they were lost," she said.

"You would have people asleep in the corridor floor because they were drunk."

About 75 of the 163 units in her block have been used as Airbnbs.

Trish said she would have anxiety attacks approaching the building, unsure of what she should expect.

"It was advertised as a guest house, as a backpacker's hostel, serviced apartments, a hotel, a motel, and they treated it like that, but there were no staff here to cater for them," she said.

"Why are our rights not being addressed, when it seems like people are bending over backwards for a $31 billion enterprise called Airbnb."

Marshall, who lives in a Melbourne CBD unit block, said some people listing residences on Airbnb in his building were not live-in hosts.

He said Airbnb guests would steal mail out of letter boxes.

"If they find banking details then they'll apply for credit cards," he said.

Meanwhile, Nelson Bay resident Andrew Lilly, who lives next to an Airbnb home, said he had been medically advised to sell his home to ease his stress after a cancer diagnosis.

"I've got no privacy," he said.

"And I don't want this to happen to the next owner. It's not fair."

Anti-Airbnb activist Murry Cox said the industry was not fair on homeowners or the property market.

"I think we are at the point now where people are understanding the negative impacts of Airbnb," he said.

Airbnb has a neighbour resource centre.

Neighbours can select an issue, such as noise complaint, common areas being trashed, or criminal activity.

Airbnb will review the complaint and send a message to the host.

Neighbours are advised to call the police first.

On the other side of the coin, hosts can also face problems when an Airbnb arrangement doesn't go to plan.

Melanie rented her North Bondi home out on Airbnb to a family visiting from overseas, who paid $20,000 in advance for a five-week stay.

However, the guests claim they saw a cockroach one night and decided to vacate the home.

Melanie said she was forced to return the money to the family.

Hosts should also beware financial complications, Nine Finance Editor Ross Greenwood said.

"If you rent out any property it could ultimately be subject to the capital gains tax," he said.

"So let's say, for example, you rent out the house for one month a year, when you finally come to sell that house they might come to deem that one-twelfth of the increase in the value of the property is subject to the capital gains tax."

Airbnb country manager Sam McDonagh said hosts were encouraged to "think carefully" about their responsibilities.

"All guests, hosts, and listings must adhere to our carefully designed Community Standards, and before listing their spaces, hosts should think carefully about their responsibilities and ensure they are in compliance with all local rules and regulations," he said.