Minut partners with Airbnb for noise detection trials in Edinburgh
Scotland: Home security technology firm Minut has partnered with Airbnb by trialling its noise detection system in Edinburgh properties rented out over the short-term rental platform.
The three-month trial, which coincides with the start of the peak Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations, has the purpose of reassuring neighbours that visitors staying in short-term rental accommodation locally will not be disrupting them. A select group of hosts will install Minut’s device in their properties for the trial run.
Minut’s noise detection device alerts short-term rental hosts when noise levels become excessive and the decibel threshold is surpassed. It is then up to the host to notify the guest directly through the company’s app or via an ‘agent’ to visit the property in person to warn them about their noise levels and disruption of the neighbourhood.
The device does not contain any camera or audio recording feature, therefore ensuring guest privacy is respected.
Furthermore, Minut closed an $8m Series A funding round earlier this year in July, with CEO Nils Mattisson saying that the capital injection would help to “accelerate growth across markets and to strengthen the product portfolio”.
As a result of the partnership, Airbnb has launched a dedicated ‘Good Guest Guide’ for rental guests who are visiting and staying in the Scottish capital.
Patrick Robinson, director of public policy at Airbnb, told The Edinburgh Evening News: “From supporting simple, fair and proportionate regulation to backing a local tourism levy, we have always been committed to working together with Edinburgh to make home sharing work for everyone.
“The noise detector trial and Good Guest Guide are just the latest steps we have taken to support local hosts and the communities in Edinburgh that they call home,” he added.
Chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), Fiona Campbell, also told the newspaper: “As the trade body representing short-term rentals in Scotland, we at the ASSC warmly welcome the launch of this trial and of the Good Guest Guide. Many of our members use the platform as a route to market and so we appreciate fully their commitment to Scotland and to ensuring that our guests have the best experience while also contributing to the local areas they stay in.
“Airbnb is to be congratulated for their willingness to find solutions that work for those in the industry, our neighbours, and our communities across Scotland,” she added.
Over 11,000 properties are now believed to be listed in Edinburgh and the City Council is intent on bringing in a licensing scheme to be proposed by the Scottish Government. The potential scheme could require owners to ensure anti-social behaviour, i.e. excessive noise, does not disrupt neighbours living nearby.
For more information on the noise detection devices, visit the Minut website here.
