Fairbnb aims to invest money back into local communities and ensure that properties are not snapped up by big landlords

A new ethical travel accommodation hub has been launched.

Fairbnb.coop aims to offer intrepid travellers the chance to stay in apartments across the world which support community projects.

The site has been created amidst a boom in short-term rental apartments in cities across the world, driving up house prices and making suitable accommodation harder to source for many local populations. In Edinburgh, the number of Airbnb properties grew by 43% last year and landlords have been accused of squeezing out local residents.

Fairbnb aims to be a marketplace for “authentic, fair and conscious tourism” and promises to donate 50% of its commission to social projects selected by local residents.

The site, which is in its testing phase, at present has a small number of properties in five pilot cities: Valencia, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Bologna and Venice, though the plan is to expand across Europe in the coming months.

The site has a one-home-per-host rule and also has a ban on properties run by businesses. Earlier this month, Airbnb announced it would introduce stricter checks on properties to avoid scams where guests are told the property they have selected is no longer available after booking.