Dubai-based therapist is banned from renting her £500,000 Edinburgh flat on Airbnb after neighbours complained over noisy lockdown party 

• Nassima Gough-Menari used a letting site to offer her third-floor property
• Council probed after neighbours complained about noise in lockdown
• The council ruled Gough-Menari had breached planning laws

A therapist has been banned from renting her luxury Edinburgh flat on Airbnb after furious neighbours complained about noise from a lockdown party.

Dubai-based Nassima Gough-Menari used a letting site to offer her £500,000 third-floor property in the city's west end to tourists and visitors.

She said she had banned hen and stag parties and the flat had only been used by businesspeople accessing nearby conference facilities, international tourists and key workers. 

But a probe was launched by the City of Edinburgh Council after neighbours complained about noise while the country was under strict lockdown rules.

The council ruled Gough-Menari had breached planning laws and issued a notice ordering her to halt the operation.

She appealed the decision to the Scottish Government but that has now been thrown out after they could not get in contact with her.

But she has now withdrawn the flat from Airbnb.

Gough-Menari said: 'The whole Airbnb thing has been such a headache for me.

'Despite me appealing, I've decided to withdraw the appeal and no longer list on Airbnb as despite the majority of guests being great, there have been a number of disturbances that which have been unfair for my fellow property owners.'

In her appeal letter, she said: 'As an upstanding and law-abiding citizen, I would have absolutely applied for any planning permission required and I categorically would never involve myself in any commercial activity that was forbidden.

'I'm therefore baffled by the fact that I have not been able to receive any information about planning permission, and the property management company themselves could not provide me with any such requirement for listing the property with them.

'I am therefore asking you to kindly give me guidance on how to apply for planning permission as several properties in our building are rented out short term.'  

Gough-Menari added: 'I take full responsibility and feel so upset that our neighbours have been caused distress by this.

'The fact that it was not possible to contact me as I live abroad escalated the matter as the neighbours who made the complaint had no way of contacting me.'

Issuing their enforcement notice, the City of Edinburgh Council said: 'The use enables new individuals to arrive and stay at the premises for a short period of time on a regular basis throughout the year in a manner dissimilar to that of permanent resident.

'The resultant effect of a high level of turnover and the ability to access communal areas of the building, is causing disturbance to the established residential character of the building.

'The above represents a material change of use and therefore a breach of planning control has occurred.'

Government reporter Dianne Wakeling said documents had not been received which would allow an appeal to continue.