An illegal Airbnb has been shut down in Aberdeen – ending “terror” for residents in the same flat block.
Residents say life in the building in Affleck Street has been a misery since the unlicensed short term let began taking guests in March.
They told of strangers trying to ram open the doors to their homes, while lost and two storeys away from No. 60 where they were staying.
And it only got worse as they were rushed from their homes in the early hours as smoke billowed out of the unlicensed flat one May morning.
Owner Milton Zata shrugged off questions over why he had broken the law by accepting guests from Airbnb and Booking.com before he had a licence.
“There’s no straight answer as to why I didn’t apply,” he told the council licensing committee.
“I should have. I just didn’t. There was no particular reason at all.”
And his property agent admitted they continued to break the law, even when the licensing oversight came to light.
Short term let premises have had to be licensed since October 2023.
Illegal Airbnb: ‘Strangers throw their shoulders at my door trying to get in’
Residents of other flats in the block on Affleck Street complained their once safe homes had been rocked by the business in the flat Mr Zata had purchased in January.
Soon after then, residents stopped feeling as safe in their flats as the first guests arrived in March.
Louisa Scott has lived in her home in the block for 15 years, reporting no safety issues in that time.
She told councillors: “Yet this unlicensed property started operating and I had complete strangers several times a week trying to get into my home.
“[Trying] keys and door handles, and throwing their shoulder, their weight, against the door trying to get in.
“I have been sworn at when confronting them. I feel unsafe in my home due to the applicant and his associates’ negligence.
“If it’s too confusing for people to navigate their way around the building to the point they are trying to get into my home then I don’t see how it’s a suitable location for a short term let.”
Smoke billowed out of illegal Airbnb: ‘Fear and alarm is an understatement’
Ms Scott flagged her safety concerns with Mr Zata’s agents, Blok Property Management, at the end of April.
But it was only days before the issues escalated on May 1.
“Fear and alarm is an understatement when you’re woken up by your neighbours hammering on your door at 3 o’clock in the morning because there’s a fire in the building,” she shook.
Smoke billowed from the the windows of No. 60, re-entering the building into neighbouring flats and the communal stairwells.
An industrial fan was set up outside Ms Scott’s front door to get rid of the smoke, while firefighters worked through the building until 4.30am.
Residents were “terrified” and “unable to sleep” for a further two nights as the guests remained.
And the cause?
“The people in the property had put a fully packaged meal in the oven and then fell asleep,” Ms Scott raged.
“The response from Mr Zata was that this could happen anywhere. But I have lived there 15 years and it never happened until the property was being operated illegally.
“It was scary even being in your home knowing this is happening two storeys above you.”
After the plans were thrown out, a relieved Ms Scott told The P&J she would have had to move home if the short term let had been granted a licence.
‘Difference of opinion’: Where there’s smoke, there’s… ?
Blok Property Management director Lisa Schoneville, speaking alongside Mr Zata, disputed the gravity of the incident which had forced residents from their beds at 3am as a “difference of opinion”.
“Absolutely, the guests did put full packaging into the oven,” the Glasgow-based property manager admitted.
“But it didn’t catch fire, as the fire service can confirm.
“There was no fire but there was smoke, naturally from the plastic melting.
“The guests were sleeping. They weren’t even aware of the incident… well, they were aware of it but they didn’t believe it was dangerous enough to call the fire brigade because they already opened the windows.
“That may be a difference of opinion. Obviously the guests didn’t feel they had to.
“They didn’t bring it to our attention but as soon as the neighbours did we had our Aberdeen property manager down there within 30 minutes.”
Mr Zata is not ‘an estate agent as such’
The incident brought to light that No. 60 was taking guests without a licence.
Mr Zata, a 26-year-old also based in Glasgow, described his main occupation as “deal sourcing”, which he explained as “not an estate agent, as such, but like estate agent for investors”.
He looked up deep in thought when asked how many properties he owned, answering and gesturing “two” after his bout of arithmetic.
Mr Zata is a director of five companies, including Zata Investments and Zata Propertys (sic).
His “big mistake” in operating the Aberdeen short term let unlicensed only came to the attention of Mrs Schoneville after the acrid affair on May 1.
His property agent said she was “not aware” a licence was not in place, having told Mr Zata it was his responsibility to obtain one when she was hired.
“There’s no excuse for it,” she confessed. “Due diligence. I should have checked that Mr Zata did have a licence and I take absolute responsibility for that.”
Even when it came to light her client had broken the law though, Mrs Schoneville admitted there was still a further offence.
“He applied for the licence and we had a further booking already in the calendar… which we did keep.
“Now technically, we should have cancelled, called the guest and said: ‘I’m so sorry, you’re not allowed to stay’. But we didn’t.”
Rogue Airbnb owner’s contrition does little to convince councillors
Mr Zata added that it was a “big mistake that I made and I put my hands up”.
Affleck Street was his first, brief, foray into operating short term lets. Unveiling the property on his Facebook in February, Mr Zata wrote: “Role (sic) in the moneyy 🤑🤑🤑”
This week he shook his head at suggestions he was “chancing his luck”.
Facing off the claim, he added: “It was something I should have done immediately after I was told.
“But I didn’t understand the importance of it and it should have been at the top of my list that day.
“Now, I realise the importance, well not now as in this very moment in time but even back then when I sort of started the application I started to realise how important it was and how I should have had it in place from the get-go.”
Council officers confirmed, with or without police action, operating a short term let unlicensed was an offence.
Mrs Schoneville accepted: “I am aware that operating short term lets without a licence is a criminal offence.
“I can see a criminal offence appears to have been committed.”
‘It’s quite clear this flat has operated against the law’
Resident Jenni Colvin, an associate solicitor with Brodies LLP, urged councillors to refuse Mr Zata his licence.
“I think it’s quite clear it has operated without a licence, against the law and this raises the question of whether this is a fit and proper person to have a licence.”
Councillors agreed, unanimously ruling Mr Zata was not fit to run a short term let and that the flat was not suitable to be used as one.
Licensing committee convener Gill Al-Samarai said: “Sadly there was an offence committed here.
“Your agent made you aware and you didn’t immediately act on it.”
Mr Zata, who looked to be dissecting his team’s performance as he walked up Broad Street after the hearing, waved away The P&J.
His only comment: “Bad news, bad news.”
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