Trouble in Kloten ZH Neighbors annoyed by Airbnb tourists in their own garden
The proximity to Zurich Airport makes an attic apartment near Kloten ZH attractive for international guests - and a nuisance for the neighborhood. Now the city has banned Airbnb use.
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- Residents in a hamlet near Kloten ZH feel disturbed by night-time noise, strangers and increasing traffic due to an Airbnb apartment.
- At the end of January, the Kloten town council banned the use of the apartment as an Airbnb, as this is not permitted under building law in the agricultural zone.
- The owner explains that she inherited the apartment and offered it as an Airbnb through business partners.
Ringing doorbells at night, strangers in the garden, noise late into the night: for a family in a hamlet near Kloten ZH, the situation surrounding an Airbnb apartment is "untenable", as reported by the Zürcher Unterländer newspaper. "We feel unsafe", one mother is quoted as saying. No one wants to be named.
According to the report, the penthouse in question is located between fields, without public transport connections, but only a few minutes from the airport. This is precisely what apparently made it attractive for international guests.
Residents report significantly more traffic: cars, shuttle buses, some arrivals in the middle of the night. Wheeled suitcases on gravel and slamming doors also annoy residents. Neighbors say there is often a lack of understanding for privacy and peace and quiet at night.
City intervenes
At the end of January, the Kloten city council intervened and banned the change of use to an Airbnb apartment. The official notice demanded the "restoration of a lawful condition".
Andreas Stoll, Head of Living Space for the city of Kloten, told the Zürcher Unterländer newspaper: "The use of a property as an Airbnb does not conform to the zoning regulations in the agricultural zone and is therefore not permitted under building law." It is the first ban on use of this kind in Kloten.
Owner takes a stand
The owner of the apartment emphasizes that she did not come up with the idea for Airbnb. She had inherited the property and tried unsuccessfully to rent it out regularly. Business partners got involved via a fiduciary office, after which the apartment was offered online.
The advertisements have since disappeared. According to residents, however, people are still coming and going. These are said to be mainly chauffeurs and employees of the Airbnb operator.
