"It felt like a nightclub". The co-owners of 6, rue Scipion, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris recently suffered three nights in a row from noise pollution. A group of revelers had rented an apartment in the courtyard to organize parties, bringing together up to a hundred people.
“The worst was on Saturday night,” says Monique, whose third-floor apartment overlooks the courtyard. “It started at 8 pm until 8 am the next morning, with the music breaking down. Impossible to sleep ! "
In Paris, this kind of phenomenon is not new but has amplified since the end of confinement. As the nightclubs are closed, young people looking to party are opting for apartment rentals on Airbnb.
"We are receiving more and more reports of rentals that turn into a permanent party place for a whole weekend," says Ian Brossat, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of housing.
“Since the period of confinement, a certain number of activities which until now took place on public roads or in nightclubs have shifted to apartments, which poses many problems. "
In June 2020, police received 4,483 calls for noise at night. This is more than the same period as the previous year, with 3,356 calls reported in June 2019.
An apartment rented by a prostitute
But short-term apartment rentals sometimes go much further than just parties. A few kilometers from Paris, in Seine-Saint-Denis, two lofts are sometimes rented by prostitutes. In addition to the regular noise pollution linked to parties organized by tenants, the neighbors can no longer take it.
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The process is flawless. Each time, two or three girls rent the apartment for a day and a night. Contacted via escort sites, they make an appointment by SMS to their clients. What a neighbor could see when he got the number of a woman from a customer.
"Nice to meet you, it's Nawel." I like to have a good time and I will know how to take care of you […]. All intercourse is protected ", writes the young woman first, who gives her prices:" 100 € per half hour, 150 € per hour ". Before giving the address, 2, avenue Albert-Sarraut.
Contacted, Rudolph (the first name has been changed), the operator of the two apartments in question, does not deny. But admit his helplessness.
“I can't put a guard in every apartment to watch what people are doing. There is a time when I no longer have control. And I cannot, on the pretext that a woman is renting an apartment, suspect that she is a prostitute. I also cannot make a selection of facies rentals. "
"We have zero tolerance for illegal activities"
The rental platform assures us that we have "zero tolerance for illegal activities". "We are taking the necessary measures, including the removal of affected user accounts, as soon as we become aware of issues that involve the use of our platform," says Airbnb.
But when we mention the case of prostitution in Seine-Saint-Denis, the platform defends itself: “These accommodations are listed on a large number of different rental platforms and we have no evidence of recurring parties or illegal activities during stays booked through Airbnb. "
Last year, “only 0.05% of reservations made on Airbnb were reported,” the company recalls, concluding: “Security problems on our platform are rare and isolated. "
