Yes, it happens.
Neighbors can literally ruin your Airbnb business. And if it happens to you, you probably deserved it.
Here are some ways to prevent that from happening.
If you can avoid annoying your neighbors on the following issues and otherwise exercise common sense to be a thoughtful neighbor, you will reduce your chances of losing your Airbnb listing.
Noise
Nothing turns otherwise docile neighbors into pitchfork-wielding mobs out to shut down your Airbnb listing than if your listing begins attracting loud and obnoxious guests.
It may be okay if you’re in a typically loud and busy urban neighborhood that’s always noisy anyway, but if you’re in the quiet suburbs, loud guests will spell trouble for you right away.
Aside from a complaining neighbor disturbing your guests, these neighbors may go so far as to reach out to your landlord, petition other neighbors, and otherwise create justifiable hell for you.
So choose carefully which guests you target and who you ultimately decide to rent to.
Pro Tip: Be sure to set some house rules with guests to minimize any disturbance of neighbors.
Pro Tip: Prevent and stop noise complaints before they happen by utilizing NoiseAware.
Parking
For areas where parking is always in limited supply, you can expect to get some backlash if your guests are constantly taking up the parking spaces your neighbors rely on.
Be sure to set clear boundaries with guests about where they can park, how many cars they can keep on premises, etc…
Don’t have parking? Consider adding it as an amenity. It could get you 20% more bookings. Learn more here.
Shared Spaces
If you are renting out a unit inside an apartment complex with shared common areas or amenities, make sure you are very clear with your guests about the local rules for those amenities.
Airbnb guests accessing the pool or the gym during after hours could lead to neighbor complaints.
Be Open and Transparent
While it may not be possible in all areas, having open and transparent communications with your neighbors about your Airbnb listings can establish trust early on and help you avoid future headaches.
Listen to your neighbors’ concerns and have remedies prepared to address them. Make REAL effort to address concerns. Don’t just pay lip service.
Pro Tip: Want to stop small problems from becoming BIG problems? Leave your cell phone with your neighbors so they can reach you first if they have a complaint about your guest or if there is an emergency.
Not All Cities Are Created Equal
How would you feel if your city gave a monetary incentive to your neighbors for whistleblowing on your Airbnb activities?
Some cities just have way more Airbnb haters than others–notably San Francisco and New York City.
Know what city you’re in and always do some research before diving into your first short term rental.
While some cities are friendlier to Airbnb than others, everything really comes down to your specific neighborhood and how much goodwill you have established with your neighbors.
Have you had an incident with a neighbor over your Airbnb listing?
What are other ways to make nice with your neighbors as an Airbnb host?
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My co-host just installed an awesome solution for keeping out neighbors happy when we have that occassional guest who drank too much and played the music too loud – he got a NoiseAware monitor that pins our phones if our guests get too rowdy at night. I used it this week to let a guest know they were being too loud. I definitely think it is a helpful tool for anyone considering or currently a host!
Thanks so much for this suggestion. Have just signed up for the service!
Businesses equivalent to motels and hotels don’t belong in residential neighborhoods. Numerous cities and towns across the country are having similar problems, and eventually enough residents will speak up and VRBO won’t survive. Spend your time pursuing a business that does not impact the quality of life of the neighbors.
Absolutely – I could not agree more Amanda! I would NEVER have purchased a home next to an actual Inn, hotel or Bed & Breakfast. But thanks to our absentee neighbor who is now leasing his home on Airbnb, we now have an endless stream of visitors to our small privat lake community – they view our lake as their “resort vacation” but it is our Home! I come home from a long day at work and cannot even relax on my own deck because the “guests” next door have been out there having cocktails already for hours. My biggest concern is WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?? No one is vetting them – they could be criminals who now have a front view seat of our comings and goings. Also – our state requires registered sex offenders to notify the public of their whereabouts – this Airbnb seems like a pretty easy way to circumvent that since there is really no way of our absentee landlord to even know who is checking in (he offers a lockbox). We are fighting this ridiculous infringement on our rights as homeowners in this small lake community 😡.
I bought my little bungalow four years ago..in a quiet residential community close to the beach. Next door is a Airbnb which rents for up to $2,250/night…thereby attracting large groups of people. Last weekend, police were called for physical altercations. I (and many neighbors) have contacted code enforcement, the police, the Town supervisor, Town Attorney, county legislator. The landlord is still renting – currently owes over $24,000 in fines – what a joke – that is covered in 12 days. I am a senior citizen living on $15,000 Social Security.
You are exactly right! STRP/owner occupied and non owner occupied Airbnb should NOT be in Residential neighborhoods esp in a school zone. Who Re these people coming in all hours of the night? My neighbors bought the rental between us and turned it into a STRP/owner occupied but don’t live there . They live in the house by it. How is this legal. Residential neighborhoods are soon going to be non existent. They are bullying me to the point of me selling my home just to have peace. How can Codes do this . They would think differently if it was beside their home 🏡
We are in the same boat 🙁 People don’t seem to realise (or don’t care?) how much the Airbnb neighbour suffers. Feel free to join our support community on Facebook @neighboursofairbnb
Yes !! Exactly
Ann, I just had the home next to me bought by people who rent it on airbnb too and this summer has been he’ll. And the owners are nasty but what can we do?
I am in a living hell right now with an upstairs condo in a very small 14 unit building as an Airbnb. The owner has lied, claimed that the unit was vacant despite the fact that the people inside were moving furniture around stomping on the floor all hours and there has been 8 different people who open the door when I go up and ask them to stop being so loud. I have called the police. The strata towed away the car they decided to park in a visitor space as if it was their own. I hope Airbnb dies the worst death ever. I will do anything and everything to shut it down. This entire building’s security is at risk they leave entrance doors from outside wide open as I assume they don’t have enough copies of keys. This has been torture for 3 solid months and I have barely slept. I WILL NOT DEAL WITH IT. I am warning anyone who is thinking of setting up a hotel in a residential building DON’T. IT WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE FINED AND FINED AGAIN AND SHUT DOWN
Why isn’t your Home owners Association not doing anything about this?
We are in the same situation, the Airbnbs in our building are making our life an absolute hell and no one does anything about it! We (the locals) have actually had to live in a guesthouse (like tourists!) because our child (and all of us actually) is suffering from sleep deprivation. Feel free to join our support community of FB @neighboursofairbnb.
Thank you, my thoughts exactly. I’m currently battling an airb&b party house in Pittsburgh. I’m looking through this article for ideas to stop this in our quiet neighborhood.
Why not impose fines that pay for a neighbors place where they have some peace and enjoyment at like a 5 star hotel or a resort or a nearby airbnb that is vacant. I mean hell if airbnb truly even cared abount anything but the money they would have came up with this as a possible solution. But no . the host nexg to me will fine the noise makers for his own gain or shell out money for fines to tbe city for violations so of course tbe cities turn a blind eye and deaf ear because it pays to do so.
Can anyone be rich who isnt a narcissist and or sociopath by now? Doubt it
Background information: I live outside Chicago and am occasionally renting to one or two vetted guests the finished basement of my own house, not a condo or apartment, so there is no shared space or pool with neighbors. I have private parking for the airbnb guests in my own garage, and the guests have all been very quiet. I’m usually home so I’m on top of everything. My guests in absolutely no way are bothering anyone. On top of that, it’s not like I live in a gated community: most housing units in my town are apartments and there is a layered integration of mostly African-Americans and whites living here. There is a pretty high crime rate, a lot of poverty, and a lot of registered sex offenders around.
But here is the amazing thing I can’t understand. There is a snobby power couple across the street who STARE at my guests all the time with an expression that says that they simply cannot believe that I’m renting my basement out. This couple has a high level of tolerance for the skyrocketing murder rate going on just 7 blocks from our houses, and they apparently have no problem with the local public school where half the kids are on free lunch/free breakfast. They let their small children walk home alone, a long walk, past registered sex offenders. They let their daughters ride scooters in the street when most parents would tell the kids to ride on the sidewalks. They would seem to be the most nonchalant, tolerant, no-fear people based on these other things. But they look at me, a divorced but financially stable mother of two kids, like I am a danger to them and their comfortable existence. I don’t know how much of this is their fear of airbnb guests, who never even go on their side of the street, or if this is just married, double income power couple snobbery toward me because I’m divorced and they think it’s okay to stare at someone they believe is below them socially? I’m pretty sure if I got remarried to someone they respected, they would put their eyeballs back in their heads and leave me alone.
I know exactly how you feel ?? Nosey people with nothing better to do with with there sad existance. Great thread
You are comfortable because you are in control and have some comfort that you have “vetted” them. I understand actually how your neighbor feels because I now have complete strangers coming and going at the Airbnb next door – I like having neighbors , not transient strangers living next to me. Instead of getting defensive and criticizing your neighbors, why don’t you try to understand how it might feel for them to have a constant stream of strangers parading through. It’s great for you because you are making money and you are in control – but I can tell you that is SUCKS to be the neighbor.
You are exactly right ! GREED is the key word. No matter who it bothers . No we are not mosey neighbors from the previous post , we are concerned neighbors. The owner of my STRP basically took upon hisself to vandalize my fence and yard just to make his place e better. Could care less of my well-being. Obviously the poster before doesn’t live beside said Airbnb . 😢
You are comparing their right to privacy and a zoned residential home to the local crime rate– it’s apples and oranges. For many people, the home is the largest investment that they will ever make- can you blame them for giving your “guests” the stink eye? Tourists don’t belong in private residential neighborhoods, and they belong even less there when they make their presences known by noise, trash, behavior or anything that is out of character of the private area these people live. your guests do not have the right to “belong” in that neighborhood.
For crying out loud, you value your profit more than being neighborly, why don’ t you just admit the truth of your position. No one wants to live next to these things.
I dont give a sh*t what neighbours think. I rent my luxury walk out basement only to people I vet and I am making MONEY!! Meanwhile, my neighbours are actually way more noisy then any of my guests. The ones beside me have a pool and like 8 kids and the the ones on the other side also have loud kids so how can anyone complain about me?
Capitalism is great.
How do you vet them? All background checks are 💯 correct.
Aren’t!
I do this a couple ways..
1) I try to avoid certain ethnicities who in general, I emphasize, in general are disrespectful and trashy. You can guess which ethnicity I am speaking of. I prefer to rent to guests from Hong Kong who are usually quiet and very respectful
2) Check their reviews
3) avoid local guests who are the only ones that throw parties. Guests coming from long distances almost never throw parties with several unregistered guests coming over
4) I am very firm in my house rules and ask them to confirm that they are good with them.
So, the reason I started doing short term is because my last long term tenants destroyed my bathroom causing $8,000 in damages. The tenant before them had mental issues, had a breakdown one day and removed his clothing in the middle of the street at 10:00am running through our street. Would you prefer a long term tenant like the one I just mentioned who is very hard to evict or a short term tenant who I can easily evict and sold the problem instantly?
I’ve been doing AirBnB for almost two years and never had an issue. Out of the blue, an unknown neighbor reports me to the township. The township refused to give me details on the neighbor complaint. I’m in a single family home, that I own and live in, not in an HOA. The guests share the same parts of the house as me (they have their own room/bath but share the common areas). My guests are quiet and park their cars on the driveway next to mine. They are not disturbing the neighbors. If my guests are not causing harm to the neighbors or their properties, then its none of the neighbor’s business. It’s my home, not theirs. the township does not pay my housing expenses so who are they to tell me who can live with me or who can’t.
Obviously there is something going on that you’re not stating. And it is the neighbors business. They have a right to safety and privacy.
Bravo Jule, well said! Not all AirBnB hosts are as innocent as they proclaim. I constantly complain about the noise from an AirBnB rental in my neighborhood and not once has the owner reached out to me to try to resolve it. And shame on AirBnB for calling this homeowner a “super host”.
Exactly!!!
I just started my Listing in single house.I am deeply worried about my neighbour’ feeling.If I were my neighbour, I I do not like many strangers show up every day even if they are nice and quiet. Why do I still do this? Because I have to take care of kindergarten daughter while wife is relocated for job for few years. I do not have much options. If I were my neighbour, there is nothing I can do to stop it, but I might consider to move, though I do not know if new neighbour lists his spare rooms………
To clarify your argument … you are living on site? That’s a HUGE difference from the overwhelming complaints about airbnbs with the absentee, real estate investor who’s main preoccupation is renting for cash. He doesn’t care about the neighborhood; he cares about making a profit. The airbnb on our once quiet, residential street, attracts large groups (sports teams, large family get togethers, etc). We’ve had to call the police about this motel model “party house”. Lawn is rarely cut, narrow street clogged with cars, garbage bins left on the curb, trash in the driveway. Different large group of strangers every week. They belong in a commercial zone not next to homes with small children. I’m disgusted with the whole airbnb model in single family residential; ruining neighborhoods and turning them into hotel zones.
And now Marriott has announced that they are going to buy thousands of homes across the country to get in on the action 😡
Thank you Jule. This is the sort of stuff that creates war between neighbors.
We have had an Air BNB for over 2 years on an acre in Billings,Montana without 1 single complaint. Out of the blue a neighbor 2 houses down from us serves us with a cease and disist for no named reason. We bought this property in this area because there were no covenants. Or so we were told. Now all of a sudden after living here 10 years out of the blue there are covenants. We were in the middle of placing 2 tiny houses on our land. Have spent over $90,000 on the project. AIR BNB is our only income because of disability
What can we do?
If you’re doing nothing illegal or wrong, the township will let you go on your merry way. If not, you’re breaking some law. You say the township can’t tell you what to do with your property, but of course that’s not true. What if you wanted to turn in into a convenience store, or a drug house, or a pig farm? Residential properties can’t be turned into a business without the consent of the municipality, so if you want to keep your business, you’d better find a way to keep other residents happy.
I hate to say this but I have to . You found self-conceited to say that it’s your right. What about your neighbors rights? They bought to live in a residential neighborhood not a revolving door.
If your guest’s weren’t bothering the neighbor(s) they wouldn’t have even known they were there.
My neighbor rented his home for this purpose for the first time this weekend. They were loud as hell and threw a party both nights they stayed. I knew something was up and starting searching his address online to see if he sold the house or we had renters. That is how I learned about AIRBNB. In Las Vegas you are required to have a permit, a business license, pay taxes just like a hotel, and get permission from your HOA. We live in an HOA community and I know that this is not allowed. I complained to the owner by signing up and contacting him via AIRBNB the first night they were loud. He came the next day and checked out the place, but that night they threw another party. So guess what? Since he did nothing about their partying I contacted the HOA and turned him into Las Vegas Code Enforcement. If what he is doing is legal and he followed the proper procedures than I have to deal with it. If not, well he is about to pay some hefty fines.
That is the problem with AIRBNB and sites like it. People buy properties and list on these sites for strictly business reasons. They don’t care about the neighborhood or their neighbors’ quality of life. They aren’t trying to raise their family or retire in the home they are using as a hotel. People that stay in these properties are too stupid and or don’t care that they are staying in a residence, not a hotel/motel. They are loud, block up the street with cars, etc. What recourse do neighbors have besides calling the police? It’s not like we can call down to a front desk.
I agree with you Jim. Im always conscience of my neighbors driveway as not to block it and so that he can turn in and out of it. Just last night i put a call into police nonemer no. because a guest thought it was okay to block my driveway.
The Airbnb across the street has a couple vans that picks people up at the airport, makes numerous trips into the city picking and dropping people off. Many of their guests have cars too. What used to be a basic, residential area with small to medium sized homes that have a one car garage, now been inundated with multiple, multiple cars. Garages are being converted into bedrooms and the city doesnt seem to mind. That is where the problem started!
My guests left neighbors alone. However, neighbors who are observant can notice the many different cars with out of state plates. Very likely that is what happened in my case.
I’m in a single family home that’s not in an HOA and we each have our own private driveways. My driveway is large enough to park 2 cars so guests’ cars were not parked on the street.
Thank you for your comment. You have hit on the core problem with Airbnb!
I agree with Carolyn and Jim. The same thing has happened to us. The house next door has been purchased by a man that already has 5 properties listed on AirBNB. This is a BUSINESS! We’ve had blocked driveways, their garbage cans are left at the curb for days, plus a friend of a guest that thought it was ok to leave their dog in a running car for hours in 90+ degree heat. It is just a matter of time before the loud, drunken parties start. All of our neighbors are very upset and have no recourse because we do not have an HOA.
Thanks heavens for our HOA! It took six months but we were able to vote on and approve restrictions that will kill AIRBNB in our neighborhood. Out of town investor thought he could ruin the enjoyment of my property. Ha!
I am just starting the process. Our neighbors bought this house and are trying to use it as a motel. We bought this house because of the community the neighborhood. I am now scared to let my kids outside because of all the strangers coming and going!
Hi. Can you please tell me how to start an HOA in a residential neighborhood? I want this STRP away from my home. I have no enjoyment in my house anymore, the owners are a nuisance to the point where I want to sell my home. How pathetic.
Here’s to hoping airbnb dies a quick and painful death, and for all the supporters to be met with the same (but hopefully much much more) level of discomfort their neighbors have endured. Straight up illwishes for anyone who rents out bits of their home for profit at the expense of their community. And throw in some bedbugs for the homeowners to deal with for good measure. Maybe mold too.
I would be more than happy to endure 1000 times the amount of discomfort my neighbors have endured as a result of me renting out my spare bedrooms on Airbnb, because there hasn’t been any!
I’m just wondering why do you care if someone bought 5 properties and converted them into business?! Some of you just care too much about other’s job! If you think guests are too noisy then talk to the neighbor and let him know. Maybe someone else doesn’t like some things you do and they don’t report you nor pester you. I suggest you to mind your own business and build a healthier relationship with your neighbor. Have a great day!
Nate, It’s not that easy (I wish). We’re dealing with absentee landlord investor who rarely cuts the grass, leaves bins on the curbs, and attracts large (12+ guests at a time). Our street is now clogged with cars, disrespectful short term “hotel” guests and an owner/investor who really doesn’t care. t That leaves the families on the street with on-going issues that are never resolved. Airbnbs belong in commercial neighborhoods NOT single family residential where people want to raise their kids in safety.
Maybe we have kids and like for them to go out and play in our neighborhood we located to because of safety! We now have strangers that are not attached to the community coming and going every day! Would you not be concerned!
All these Air B and B need to go. We as home owners need to stop this craziness. Right….who are these disrespectful renters. Different every week. They don’t live here, we do! If I would have known I would have never bought in this neighborhood. Too close. I just moved from a condo.
I’m with Kelly on this.
Do you have an Airbnb by you or STRP? If not than you have no say in this discussion ! #
Go to your town and fight to have them put an ordinance in place to prohibit short term rentals.
I have 4 Airbnb homes on my block selling a total of 12 rooms a night just outside San Francisco. Both my Nextdoor neighbors are “hosts”.
In the last year I have had multiple “guests” parking in my driveway. One refused to move his car because “ he got there first and there was no street parking”.
I had two enter my backyard at night to check out my catfish tank. They didn’t like being confronted at gunpoint but I don’t like prowlers on my property at night.
Last spring I was downstairs with my girlfriend and we heard two people enter through the front door and walk around for 3 minutes. We sheltered in place in my bedroom armed and ready to defend ourselves. Once the police arrived they did a high risk tactical sweep of the house and found nobody there. As they were stowing their assault weapons and ballistic shields, the “guests” next door came out and stated that they walked into the wrong house.
Our parking is gone by the time full time residents come home from work and the parties are sometimes unbearable. The “guests “ have so many cars that they block the sidewalk, block driveways and park facing the wrong side if the street.
Calling the OD does nothing.The city I live in refuses to do anything because it’s income. I am hoping to get our neighbors together and ask that the city issues parking permits.
These absent owners and their “guests” don’t care about this situation. I encourage everyone affected by this to call in parking and noise complaints and to be as unwelcoming to the “guests” as possible. They are ruining our quality of life and degrading the value of our homes.
I think if you are planning to make money from your property by renting on air bnb, then it’s only right you should do it legally, with proper permission from the local authorities.
Absolutely agree. If it’s not available in your area yet, just be patient. Airbnb is spreading and more and more cities that once prohibited it completely are working to refine the language in their regulations to allow it with known limits. Plus doing it the right way eliminates possible massive future headaches.
My township has no clue what Airbnb is or how it works. When I was reported I explained Airbnb and the township had no idea what it is. They never heard of it before.
Greed, nothing but greed for real estate investors to open these airbnbs in single family residential neighborhoods. Living next to a motel is not what we signed up for when we took on a mortgage for our dream homes. If you want to rent out space, buy a hotel, motel and stay on your side of the line – commercial zoning!
Seems like we’re in agreement John! All hosts need to work within their local regulations and zoning laws. And that’s exactly where most of the growth will be coming from–more short term rental units in commercially zoned areas. There will be folks who will continue to try to game the system but that will increasingly become more difficult as cities gain better tools to find and fine illegal listings in their city limits.
Symon,
For all the “feel good”, share your world, belong anywhere ethos that Air BNB is championing, your platform is undoing the very fabric of what makes a neighborhood and gives it its soul: NEIGHBORS. Not strangers. After the family, the neighborhood is the most intimate surrounding a person will have.
What you and AirBnb are doing is EVIL because you cannot and will not protect homeowners who want no part of thins and have been forced to give up life – privacy, comfort, familiarity, in their homes as they know it. You people are doing awful things, and you will not look at it in the eye because you are too busy chasing a dollar.
There will always be pros and cons to disruptive change, esp those that force society to reevaluate what they care more about. For short term rentals, every neighborhood will figure it out for themselves. In cities where residents are as passionate as you are to keep the status quo, they pass regulations to restrict or prohibit Airbnb and short term rentals. And in those cities, those who do skirt the regulations to host illegally should be (and will be more and more likely to be) punished as enforcement tools become cheaper for cities. And there are cities that will also embrace it and reap the benefits it brings. But it’s up to the local residents in each city to set their own regulations and to enforce them. You’re clearly passionate about your position so I would encourage you to go to your city hall meetings to make sure you have your voice heard.
Your blanket statement that all hosts are greedy folks who only host for money is blatantly false and show that you have a very limited understanding of the broader hosting community and experience. You don’t get it and you don’t need to. Truth is, most hosts don’t make much money at all from hosting–less than half will earn more than $400/mo. Even if many hosts started with hopes to make a lot of money, most will be quickly disappointed. Besides, there are many far easier ways to make money than to host on Airbnb! For the tens of 1000s of hosts that we’ve talked to, making extra money is just one aspect of the hosting experience. You can cherry pick stories for your argument that Airbnb is ruining lives but I can just as easily pull real stories of how Airbnb is helping hard-working folks down on their luck be able to stay in their homes after losing their jobs, supplement their income while having to deal with sudden illness in the family, etc…Airbnb literally helps 1000s of families pay their bills and put food on the table. Over 80% of Airbnb hosts are hosts with just a single listing with the listing being their primary residence. And the vast majority of those with multiple listings are property management companies hired by homeowners to manage their listings in vacation home rental markets. Are there bad apple hosts who illegal hosts multiple listings in some cities? Yeah sure. But should the actions of a very small minority dictate the fate of the vast majority of hosts who follow all the rules?
In the end, each city and neighborhood should and will decide for themselves. Make your voice heard. Your city will decide. If it decides in your favor. Great. If not, there will be other cities that will agree with you and you’ll have plenty of options. In the future, as all this gets sorted out, we’ll see a full spectrum of neighborhoods in terms of where they’ll land on short term rentals, all way from 100% ban to 100% embrace.
If they aren’t making money then why do t they rent to real tenants ? Like normal , rent to locals who have been shut out from gentrification
Please. codes does nothing! They don’t want to get involved.
Period!! The police either. . All the investors care about is their #Cashcow .
I’m interested in your thoughts. We have our home on Airbnb because my wife was accepted to a college out of state and we’re gone most of the time for the next two years. I thought all of our neighbors were ok with our Airbnb arrangement. We are very close with most of them and aren’t hiding anything. However a neighbor I’d never met, and rarely even see, came over to introduce himself and let us know that he’s making it his mission to shut us down. We aren’t ever fully booked and we are very picky on who we choose and have turned down a number of requests to maintain a high standard. I thought that maybe explaining the reason we are doing this and that it’s not a business venture or a permanent situation would help him understand. He said it doesn’t matter because it’s illegal. Other neighbors have said you wouldn’t have any idea that it’s being on airbnb and have actually rented our house for family in town for holidays and weddings.
How would you feel if the tables were turned and you had NO CONTROL over the strangers moving in and out? How do you know if the people who rent your property are actually the people who show up? It ‘s the neighbors and their families who are at risk – not you since you won’t be there. As a neighbor to an Airbnb in a private lake community, although I liked the owner when he lived here, I can tell you that there is absolutely no reason for me not to fight this. I care too much about the community and neighborhood I live in. If you plan to be away for two years, why not get an actual tenant who will stay more than a week? Oh yeah – because you can make more money bringing a stream of strangers in instead.
We have one of these short term rentals across the street from us. We have small children and are worried about our childrens’ safety. There are no regulations. Registered sex offenders and felons can be renting these places and no one would know.
That’s exactly how I feel and I have young children. Not to mention the neighbor has a 2 car garage with 4 spots and guess where his guests park? In front of my house! 🙄 I know it’s a public street but my lawn is dead at the curb due to his guests having no respect for others property.
apparently hosts can be felons too..I know the neighbor hosting has a long rap sheet but he is on the trust with his mother so they probably never will put the two together
i know i didnt write that but could you respond so i know for sure? we have the same neighbor it seems
We have had PORN SHOOTS and pop up brothels in our neighborhoods bc of these things.
Keep your kids inside. There needs to be some civil action against this platform.
I live in Rochester,NY and me neighbor has lied to the neighborhood saying they have a large extended family and religion family. We just found their Airbnb site.since they want to lie then all bets are now off. We contacted all authorities that have anything to do with their property including their mortgage company. Honestly goes a long way when your sneeky trying to make a buck.
Agree. You reap what you sow when it comes to neighborhood relations. Lying is definitely not the best way to start.
Tell me where you went to complain, my neighbor on Berkeley St Rochester, NY is ditto to your complaint. I called the city and they don’t care. Code head guy was a jerk.
Oh – I didn’t even think about the mortgage company!
Yes. I read that if this is so that the mortgage company they have can ask them for full payment on their home. This is a big deal .
How do you find out who holds the mortgage and property insurance on another persons property?
Oh, _your neighbors_ killed your Airbnb unit and they create hell. Not you, not your guests. That’s one way to see it. With that arrogance, I wonder if people in your neighborhood like you at all. If you have an Airbnb unit, inform your neighbors that live next to it 24/7 and listen to their concerns.
Did you read the article itself? Sounds like we’re on the same page actually.
I did read the article. Gratus is perfectly correct. Might want to consider that headline. The essential arrogance of attempting to manage people where they live is astounding. We’ve been putting up with this crap for about six months now. I’m angry enough to motivate the co-op and the municipality to crack down.
Exactly! My next township meeting is June 6 and I will be incredibly prepared.
This is why vacation rental operators should never be allowed to self-regulate and the animosity towards short term rentals. No offense but people involved with real estate business tend to lie as do general contractors that cater to development and rental property rehabbing.
Airbnb misrepresentation: Portland real estate investor style : https://imgur.com/TRmNxKR
I rent two rooms in my house on Airbnb, I have had very respectful guests. I do also live in the house so maybe that’s the difference but I have had much better Airbnb guests than seasonal renters. There is only one neighbor that seems to have a problem with it and when asked why he said it was because of parking. I reminded him that my guests have always parked in my driveway which he then said it could be a problem. Everyone on my street has a driveway so even if someone, someday parked on the street it wouldn’t be an issue. Some people are just afraid of the unknown. There is another house down the street that rents the whole house on Airbnb and neighbors have signed a petition against it
I asked the guy that was telling me about it what the issue was and he couldn’t give me any examples of problems they have had with it, he said he just didn’t like it. I live in a resort town there are a lot of rentals. My neighbor for example didn’t bother to get the facts on Airbnb before opposing stating that we weren’t paying taxes. I pay federal and state taxes and Airbnb collects our local city and lodging taxes and pays the city directly. Airbnb has been a life saver for me and has allowed me to do repairs to my house that come up without being stressed about where the money was going to come from. It also helps pay my huge winter heating bills.
Thanks for sharing AJ. Yes, there’s still a lot of education needed in many neighborhoods. Seems at least some of the opposition is simply due to misconceptions held about Airbnb. Glad you’ve been able to navigate the sometimes rough waters of managing relations with neighbors.
Airbnb is the worst thing to happen to many people. You buy a house , and investment in a family neighbourhood and life is grand. Than your neighbours decide to turn their house into a 12 room rental with about 2-3 beds in each room. this is not acceptable its a hotel / hostel now and airbnb does not give a shit as long as they make money. And since the money was coming in they have built more cabins on the property to rent and sell day passes to use the property and beach. This is a family area . Hotels are not permitted in residential areas but people like this skirt the laws and airbnb lets them and turns a blind eye. Nobody wants to live next to something like this. strangers coming and going at all hours , noise , lack of privacy the list goes on and airbnb continues to make money at the expense of communities falling apart. and of course the owner of this place comes around once in a while and is perplexed as to what my problem.
Its always a risk to have strangers around. That’s probably what your neighbor is concerned about. You’ve accepted the risk because you’re making money. Your neighbor is not making money from your listing but also takes a risk because there is no way you can possibly screen the guests other than your “gut feel”. Even then, a guest can claim discrimination if they are of a different ethnic group as you so it will be hard to screen anybody. I don’t know what misconceptions about Airbnb you are referring to.
Airbnb helped me stay in my home, but now that I was forced to quit after being snitched on, I am selling my home. I do t have any objection anymore, now that I am on the radar. The only way off it is to move.
You couldn’t afford your home in the first place. This was not the way to pay for it bc your neighbors were also paying for it, but not in cash.
AJ, you are not running an Airbnb but a Bed and Breakfast. Big difference. Of course tenants will be perfect guests when the owner lives on site! Not in our case. The airbnb on our street is owned by an absentee, out of town investor who only cares about filling the house for cash. We regularly get large groups of sports team, golf club groups, large family reunions descending on this house, lots of noise, grass rarely cut, garbage bins left on curb for days, clogged parking on narrow street, etc. Commercial “motel/hotel” for profit enterprises like this belong in a commercial zone, NOT single family residential. Wake up city governments. I’m ready to sell and move and you end up with once quiet, residential neighborhoods with neon lights!
AirBnB…ruining one neighborhood at a time.
I definitely agree with buck and jim. I have a neighbor who lives in the basement and rents out the top level to airbnb. In our city, our neighbor and their guests have parked in the street during a snow emergency which is a huge problem and ILLEGAL. We have side by side driveways and the plow leaves a pile of snow that I get stuck in and I have to clear. Furthermore, her guests NEVER park in front of her house, but park in front of ours at all hours and partially block our driveway. We get creepy people sitting in their cars at all hours (not ideal since I work late nights and early mornings). I have called the police to escort me the 30 ft to our door since these guests sit in their cars in front of my house!
An alert neighbor and close family friend also warned us that she has her guests park in OUR DRIVEWAY when we’re out of town. ABSOLUTELY NOT OK!!!
At this point forget the fact that the guests leave cigarette butts on our lawn, take pictures of our house (yes we have a pretty neighborhood, but we also live in a high crime area of the suburbs so it makes me VERY wary), and park illegally and block our driveway. The OWNER(S) are NASTY, RUDE, and IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTACT. We absolutely will not ever use airbnb after living next to one.
It doesn’t always take noise, parking or other issues mentioned above to get reported. Even if your guests are quiet and leave neighbors alone, observant neighbors can still notice the many different cars coming and going. Guests simply being there is more than enough to set off paranoid neighbors and get you reported.
I personally have a problem with strangers coming and going week after week at the Airbnb next door. Frankly it does not make me feel safe – I chose to buy a lakeside cottage in a small community because I like to know my neighbors and community. Airbnb and the absentee landlord have no idea who these people are – I will absolutely fight to stop this. You want to earn money off your property – fine – but go do it where the zoning allows.
We have an Airbnb across the street from us! The police have been called numerous occasions by several neighbors due to: Cars and people coming and going at all hours. People from the rental loitering in our quiet beautiful neighborhood street, loud parties, cars taking up our limited parking, cars blocking our driveways, cars preventing our fall leaf pickup at the curb, cars not being moved off of our street during snow emergencies! This is appalling and not what us neighbors signed up for or deserve! If one wants to run a motel! GO BUY ONE!
what about the AirBnB owner, that does not reveal to the unsuspecting renting guests, that there is a registered sex offender living right next door to the home they are renting out? What responsibility do they have to reveal this to the short term renter?
Ok, there are two AirBNB’s, one where the home owner lives on the property and the other where the owner is absent. AirBNB is a nightmare, a real nightmare. The AirBNB duplex next to me is always past the permitted occupancy. They own 27 homes. This is NOT A VACTION RENTAL. They are running a hotel with locations in residential neighborhoods. Its as if Marriott started buying as many homes as they could as a business model. This is a business in a residential neighborhood. This should be outlawed totally. My neighborhood is very desirable and for this reason it is infested with vacation rentals. We don’t get a moments peace. We have great ordnances but the owners and the guest laugh at them. Especially the guest, they know they’re only there for a day or tw0 and say F$%# YOU to the neighbors. Daily arguments with the guest, asking them to keep the noise down, the police are called at all hours. The next step will absolutely be physical violence with the drunk guest. Its not a question of if, but when. Unless the owner lives on the property vacation rentals should be outlawed, end of story. Oh, and for those of you above writing how you have perfect tenants, and YOUR vacation rentals cause no issues, YOU ARE NOT THERE, almost all of the cause issue, you just chose to look the other way and blame the neighbors.
It is illegal in the county I live in but the host is so rich he paid the $11000 fine! Now he rents part of the house for $3500, with a section 10. Can’t keep good people in there with that greed! So it’s back to 300 party goers on the weekend in my once beautiful family neighborhood! Kiss it Air B n B!
I live in Ely MN. Town of less than 4K people. A “tourist destination.” I bought my house 7 years ago in a completely residential neighborhood, 3 blocks from the school. It is a quiet neighborhood where all the neighbors know each other. So, it wasn’t rocket science when someone started using a house they bought in our neighborhood as a short-term rental house with cars from different states parked in our alley and groups of people we’d never seen before trolling through. It is completely disgusting to me that someone would do that to a completely residential area. If I wanted to live in a business district, across the alley from a hotel, I wouldn’t have bought a home in a residential neighborhood!! It’s down right creepy to have transients and tourists from all over the country 2 houses away. In a tiny little town like ours, where everyone knows their neighbors, I will not let the kids play outside in the yard alone anymore. The owners have been reported to the IRS, MN Dept of Revenue, and the City council. This residential home is NOT zoned for the use as a rental unit/lodging. Therefore it is not registered with the City as a rental unit nor properly insured as such. The income ($175/night) from the rental is surely taxable, and I have to wonder what the lodging facilities who ARE registered as such think of that loss of income. The neighborhood has come together and we are demanding the City create “VRBO” rules and enforce them. This particular owner will have to try and get their property re-zoned which will provide the neighboring home owners an opportunity to express their disdain for what is going on in our quiet RESIDENTIAL neighborhood. The overall attitude expressed in the posts here are selfish and appalling. NO CLUE what gives people the right to disregard zoning, tax laws, and turn a quiet residential neighborhood into a business district!!! Screw that!!! WE are taking our neighborhood back!!
Wow, the way this article is written in terms of attitude, it appears to me that the author thinks the neighbors are an infringement on his “right” to do whatever he pleases. How dare these neighbors “kill MY business”? People now days, especially the millennials, seem to think the world revolves around them personally. News Flash… it does not revolve around you. Your neighbors pay a mortgage just like you and have the right to peace in their own homes and to have their property respected. So before you belittle the neighbor’s complaints, try the foreign concept of putting yourself in their shoes for a day to see how you feel. For example, my new neighbors love to have pool patio parties every weekend, complete with screaming kids in the pool, loud Reggaton music that does not let me sleep or even hear everything said on a movie I’m watching. On top of that, they get drunk and start shouting as drunken people do. I’ve had guests park in my grass also. Everything is around their pleasure and convenience – F everyone else.
Also note that zoning laws are there for a reason. Unlike in S. America, here in the US we have single family home zones and business zones. If you want to make a business (Airbnb) in a residential area not zoned for business, you need to keep in mind that technically you are violating the rules which are there to protect everyone (including you) from the kind of disturbances of the peace that happen on business premises. Like someone else above said, if your guests were not making a disturbance then the other neighbors won’t notice or care.
I hate Airbnb! It is killing my village. It’s the short term rental. Who wants a different neighbor everyday. My house is 15 away from the hotel and it totally sucks. They shouldn’t be allowed in the community they should be in the business district. It is a business and not a home! Somebody in the government needs to step up and put regulations on short term rental. Maybe I shouldbuy and rent all around the homes of the top executives of Airbnb. Thank you for killing my quaint village in Bellport Ny
I rent on airbnb. Last week I got a letter from town regarding swimming pool. By the way guests are not allowed to use the pool. My husband called the town official about the letter. During the conversation the official says that i rent on airbnb and he wanted me to stop if asap. All though there are no written regulations at town websites. I called the town and spoke with bylaws department and she said they are working on airbnb issue. No decision was made yet. The official said the guests are going to the neighbors by mistake and saying that they are airbnb guests. I remember this happened once during night when a guest came late to return keys they took by mistake. That neighbor looked me up from airbnb and send me email regarding this. She said she was furious and blah blah…I totally think that people are jealous simply, My guests are not bother to anyone. They park in my driveway. This is a single family home. I live in the house so no noise that goes outside at all. This is a decent neighborhood and houses have good distance between them. Again, if the neighbors wants they can find any reason to complain. I still have not approached my neighbor about the airbnb issues. Someone must have called the town official to complain. I do not know which neighbor though. No one approached me personally. I believe it is fine to have airbnb if you are living in a home. You are not taking away any one’s business. If people has extra car they are allowed to to be an uber driver or lyft driver. Then if you have extra rooms then why not use them to pay the bills. People need to know more about airbnb and make educated decision. I greatly appreciated airbnb when my son went for his internship in bay area. I tried very hard to look for a bedroom apartment and was not able to find anything for 3 months. All landlords wanted me to sign atleast 6 months lease. It would be too expensive to live in a hotel for 3 months. Since then I thought this is a cool way to get short term rental. Go Airbbn! I hope all the hypes will settle and airbnb will be officially everywhere!!
Seriously – you think the neighbors are jealous? Good grief.
Did you just state that you think people are “jealous”? Are you trolling?
The entitlement you display is so tacky and gross.
There is way too much to unpack in your response so I’ll just leave you with a *quick tip:
*Brush up on your English. Your comment reflects poorly on your character and your unfortunate attempt to use grammar and spell words properly makes you look uneducated.
I guess AirBNB will let anyone with a pulse become a host. 😒
With my current current AIRBNB neighbor, I am going to sue her for private nuisance. I am going to make her bleed with legal fees.
Is a civil conversation not an easier and more adult option for both sides?
That should have happened way before the AirBNB started driving residents crazy! This is on AirBnB!
Your asking him that ? How rich . Do u not think the bnb host should’ve consulted with the local residents first? Yes, it’s on them, the initiated the problem.
To avoid conflict, since they were arrogant enuf to begin with, confronting them will most likely cause a defensive position by the Airbnb er. there’s absolutely no getting around it, what was said here is absolutely correct , valid and understandable. We know what time it is, pl see don’t patronize or gaslight us.
no. not when its so damn bad that you as a neighbor are so fed up because lets face it, unless you as the airbnb host live in that home with your guests then you are only in this for the money. at first the airbnb guests that stayed nextdoor to me were so quiet i didnt even know anyone was even there. this was in 2016. now im starting to think thats only because there was nobody really staying there and that the reviews left by guests who said they were there was part of some money laundering scheme. because its all gotten progressively worse ever since then. im at my witts end.
ive tried being civil but it doesnt work with narcissists who only believe laws and rules and regulations only apply to others.
yes maybe on one hand i am a little jealous as ive worked for a few different hotel chains and i loved it. i am a hospitable person. i cant afford my own home though yet until i win the big lottery or become a drug dealer and the latter aint happening.
Hotels do not belong in residential neighborhoods im sorry
the only reason many use airbnb and or hotels is so they can act and do whatever the hell they want because its not their neighborhood and they wont ever have to face these people they kept awake all night acting like animals or all day with their kids (if really even their kids) screaming at the top of their lungs all freaking day in the pool
call me skeptical or delusional paranoid or whatever but i think the greater evil purpose of airbnb is to drive out neighbors in neighborhoods to move so their investors can keep buying up those homes until one day the whole neighborhood is one big hotel california. parties on forever
im not giving up on my heaven take your sin and hell elsewhere we dont want it
As a neighbor of an Airbnb, the arrogance of comments are expected.
“It is my property so I can do with it what I want”
Well listen up.
Unless you live in the middle of the woods with your own private drive….no.
You live in a neighborhood.
With paid shared street service, trash collection, mail delivery, police service, emergency service and Etc.
Your business as a rental depend on reviews.
If your guests impact your neighborhood, well…
Do not crap where you eat.
I find the zoning interesting, one runs a business in a residential zoned area. I do not get how that works.
If I ran any sort of commercial enterprise in a residential zoned area I would be shut down, how is it people can run a private hotel to some degree?
Jeff, Airbnb and other booking platforms have lobbied lots of cities to pass legislation that claims overnight stays are “residential use” not business use. My city did–and at the same time, Airbnb operators who make more than $10K a year have to get a business license and ALL operators have to pay sales and hotel taxes (or make their guests pay them). When our city passed an ordinance to phase out the non-owner-occupied versions–basically otherwise empty houses functioning as unsupervised hotels in residential neighborhoods, a recipe for unhappy neighbors–Airbnb, Homeaway and other platforms hired an army of lobbyists and passed a bill at the state level limited local municipalities’ ability to regulate Airbnb-type rentals going forward. The platforms have millions, and they play both ends against the middle. Owners wanting to rent out rooms in their own homes to overnight guests are NOT their business model; investor-owned properties used exclusively as vacation rentals are. Since those properties also drive up home prices and rents for everyone, because they reduce the supply of housing available to actual residents, they exaccerbate the housing issues in cities like San Francisco and New York, where housing prices are already unaffordable if you can even find a place to live. Airbnb is, IMO, an intrusion on the property rights of neighbors, and an end run around residnetial zoning that was specifically designed to protect people from buying a house and have a commercial establishment open up next door. In my city, the Airbnbers refer to what they do as “homesharing.” You are “sharing” your home only if it’s your home and you live there full time. If you are vacating your house for vacation renters or buying several houses that you rent full-time to vacationing groups–as the owner down the street from me has done–you are running a business. And you shouldn’t be permitted to do it in a residential neighborhood, IMO.
I totally agree!! We just moved to a city that is overrun with AirBnB’s and it is a scourge on the area. The house next to us wasn’t an AirBnB until we lived there for about 6 months, then the owners up and moved and now it is one. We have had to call police three times for loud parties, trash and other nuisances. It really makes out living situation horrible. We didn’t sign up to live next door to party central. It is my mission to get their permit revoked.
Glad to hear neighbors are getting together and getting this airbnb operators OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS!!!!! Houses for people not profit! Open a properly zoned hotel in a commercial district if you’re interested in the hospitality industry!
Bravo to all who share my desire to stop AirBnB worldwide dominance of our neighborhoods! And to the lousy homeowners who claim they can do what they want with their house, etc. Sure, you may be entitled to make money, but your renters are a blight to the neighborhood, and their having fun does not trump my right to quiet enjoyment.
Neighborhoods are for neighbors .. not vacation rentals .
Communities are for residents… not tourists!!!
The master tenant of the home I sublease from her is putting her room on Airbnb. She has moved to another state and threatening to evict me if I don’t go along with it. Her landlord doesn’t know and I’m afraid if I tell her, we’ll both be evicted. I don’t know if anonomously reporting this to city will shut it down or if she’d figure out I reported it. I recently lost my job so can’t move. If I’m evicted I’d be in a bad situation. I don’t know what to do, other than having to go along with it. I don’t feel comfortable with this situation. Anyone have any advise?
I totally agree!! We just moved to a city that is overrun with AirBnB’s and it is a scourge on the area. The house next to us wasn’t an AirBnB until we lived there for about 6 months, then the owners up and moved and now it is one. We have had to call police three times for loud parties, trash and other nuisances. It really makes out living situation horrible. We didn’t sign up to live next door to party central. It is my mission to get their permit revoked.
I completely agree. Short Term Rentals have gotten completely out of hand, turning residential areas throughout the world into lodging districts. I share a wall with an STR and it’s miserable.
As someone who shares a wall with an AirBnB with absentees owners who live over an hour from the property and rarely visit it, remember that you are running a business. Yes, your Short Term Rental is a business in an otherwise residential property. You are running a tough lodging business, which probably requires a higher level of oversight than you think. Compare yourself to a hotel, not a long-term rental, of second home. As neighbors, we don’t know who’s next door night-after-night and do not want to confront those strangers when there are issues. We come straight to you – for noise, parking, trash, and other lodging issues. Our patience only goes so far and unless you do everything in your power to stay out in front of these problems, you’ll probably only see an uptick in how much we contact you. Because, by the time we pick up the phone, or email you, we’re at our wits end and have already been experiencing problems for some time. We didn’t sign up for this, but you imposed it on us. Trust me, we have better things to be doing than contacting you. And not matter how much you feel inconvenienced, multiply that by 10 for us… you “neighbors.”
That’s the key word – IMPOSED UPON
It is validating to see that so many people have the same problems we have been facing. There really isn’t much you can do to solve these issues. The owners of the Airbnb next door are easy to contact, but that doesn’t keep me “happy”, rather now I’ve become their on-sight zoo keeper. The only solution is to do away with it all. It costs the building money and is making rent in our area skyrocket. I’m tired of having my locks changed because the owners don’t mark their door and guests try to come into out flat. I’m tired of calling the police and wasting their time for noise complaints because the guests have Tuesday night rangers and refuse to keep it down when asked. Pure greed keeps this going and it’s ruining cultural areas and quiet peaceful lives.
Ran into the same issues in our tourist-driven municipality, Many tourist camps and businesses. Guy buys a house solely as an airbnb, actually owns several in the surrounding areas. Municipality admits he is breaking their zoning bylaws. Guy hires a lawyer, municipality says “meh, we’ll never win” so they back down, basically opening the door for every person who what to airbnb every house, plus singlehandedly overnight killing off the tourist camp business. Millennials run the world now guys
I’m absolutely sick of the AirBNBs in my neighborhood. I have no issues with the homeowners who are home and want to AirBNB out their basements or whatever, but the investors who have purchased properties and do nothing but AirBNB them out every weekend to human traffickers and God knows who else, I can’t. Great business concept, but for this reason alone I will NEVER set foot in an AirBNB. There are three in our small neighborhood, the HOA fines the owners but then what, they continue. They bring nothing but trash and broken dreams.
A house on my block had been for sale for over a year (it was way overpriced) but it sold about 2 months ago. This neighborhood (very established, quiet & safe) is located 20 minutes from Chicago so you can see the writing on the wall. 2 weeks ago all of the neighbors (we are good friends too) started noticing workers coming in and out. But never a moving van full of furniture. We watched as FedEx and USPS delivered boxes and bags, some 20 at a time, being left on the porch. Indiana has open books for property purchases and the man that purchased the 5 bedroom 3 bath house also got a homestead exemption (but you have to LIVE in the home) and is getting the 1% residential property tax rate. The city has very tough laws of occupancy of homes. The Air BnB listing for this particular house could possibly have 20 or more people a night!! The rates are extremely low: $12 for a single bed a night and $39 for a queen bed. Those are flop house/transient hotel rates! The neighbors and myself are bombarding the city, the city councilman and code enforcement about this situation. Cars from all over the USA have been parked on our street. This morning I counted 11 cars and there may have been more down the street. Some of these people look very unsavory and dangerous. Do the math on just that $12 a night bed. $360 a month or $4320 for a year…without ever having to get a new plate for your car or driver’s license. We don’t know who you are and we are not going to wait for something to happen. This isn’t Myrtle Beach or Ft. Lauderdale.
I have always found the mentality that purchasing a home should inherently preserve the character of the neighborhood around it fascinating. We do not look at any other purchases in society that way. When you order food at a restaurant, most people do not feel they can control what the table next to them eats. (As a pregnant woman whose stomach starts churning at the mere whiff of egg salad I know this all too well!) Or when you purchase a movie ticket, you aren’t guaranteed quiet movie viewers to your right and left. Yet with home ownership, higher stakes seem to entail the expectation that the status quo will always be the same, and that those around you somehow owe the preservation of the world you knew when you made the purchase. I think we need to interrogate this viewpoint and ask ourselves whether Airbnb is an offensive violation of rights or just an expression of a changing world in which owners want the freedom to leverage their investments and people want the ability to travel more freely.
Thank you for your very thoughtful observation Jodie. This is a question that neighborhoods will need to figure out on their own for themselves. We don’t think it would make sense to have blanket policy decisions as neighborhoods will differ greatly in what they want.
Airbnb is an offensive violation of rights.
We have children, and grow tired of the alcohol and drug filled parties being held in our otherwise quiet neighborhood. I have no idea who is coming in and out and it is scary. Our family’s safety is put in jeopardy so that a neighbor can use her home as a commercial business. Single family residential neighborhoods are zoned to be for single families, Not 12 unrelated groomsmen or fraternity brothers or businessmen and their cocaine and escorts.
Jodie–
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!
This is some high falutin philosophy you are proposing that evades the whole issue: you ARE imposing on your neighbors, and you DO NOT have that right!
Thank you !!
Its very interesting reading all of the issues on this site, we live next to an Airbnb and there has been some issues but prior to it being on Airbnb it was rented long term to people who were very loud, had loads of visitors, loud cars and it was constant. All hours of the day and night, nothing illegal or not enough for the police to be able to do anthing about. Now it is an Airbnb and if there are guests that are loud, inconsiderate, whatever. I think… They will be gone in a day or 2. Most guests are great and have no issues at all.
I am not going to waste my time explaining my sob story behind my reasoning to run my house as an AirBnB…haters are gonna hate so it doesn’t matter that I’m a single mom using the money to put in my son’s savings. What I WILL say is that one has to ask the question of where we draw the line in governing/controlling the decisions and actions of our neighbors. If my neighbors moved in when my house was white and then I decided to paint it blue, is it okay for them to say “I hate blue and you need to change it back because I’m not looking at that every day”. What if I planted a tree and they said, “ you need to cut that tree down. I had a bad experience with a tree falling on my car and it brings back sad memories”. What if I put a large decorative rock in my yard and they yelled at me to remove it because it could attract snakes? If I wanted someone else controlling what I did with the house I paid for every month I would have bought a house with an HOA. Everyone who stays at my AirBnB is friendly, quiet, and only staying there to have a place to stay as they do other things like hiking and going to weddings. Those of you voicing so much hate because it brings strangers to the neighborhood need to realize the reality of the world we live in. You are very naive if you think you are safe in the house you live in, AirBnB across the street or not. No one can control mother nature. A tornado can rip through your house or a fire could burn it down and no zoning regulations are going to stop it. I’m sure some of you live in the middle of nowhere which still doesn’t stop thieves and murderers but for those of you who live anywhere near civilization, anyone is free to walk into your neighborhood and walk up to your door without a reservation across the street. How does one possibly go out and do anything with such a fear of strangers? There are literally strangers everywhere you go. The grocery store, the movies, where you work, and even your child’s school. In fact, unless you live in a neighborhood with only four houses in it, there are most likely strangers within your neighborhood as well. From now until mid October I have exactly 13 people staying at my house. Seeing as how I only know the names of the people in 3 of the houses right next to me in my neighborhood there are far more than 13 strangers who live in my neighborhood that I have to trust each and every day will stay in their own house and not bother mine. Each and every day we have to make the choice to either trust or not trust. Unless you are going in your house and locking the door, going into a panic room, and holding up a gun in case anyone comes in you yourself are choosing to trust humanity and the general public’s overall tendency to live and let live. So keep hating on AirBnB people. Though I’m sure some have the bad intentions of renting all the time in residential neighborhoods just to get some extra money when they don’t even need it, some of us are honest people who are trying to make ends meet. And yes I do have a full-time job. I am a special education teacher who works Monday through Friday 830 to 4. All my other waking and non waking hours are set aside as time for my child.
Sounds like you need to look into the #MIRROR. What a boat load of crap . I hope nothing happens from one of your so called renters but if ur precious renters committed a crime or dealt drugs or even worse committed a sexual crime you will be in #JAIL
Oh, and statistics prove that most sexual assault (aka people who end up being sex offenders), violence, and murder occur domestically (in other words people from your own family, friends, and neighbors you thought were friendly and “normal”). So if you need to watch out your window in paranoia, I’d be glaring at THOSE people instead of at the “Strangers” pulling into your neighbor’s AirBnB. #dirtyunclesteve
Oh my goodness-what a load of self-serving BS! You are really reaching here…Use every ridiculous “justification” in the book ( You use the money to put in your son’s savings? Seriously?) but the fact remains that your neighbors bought their homes in a residential area, not a hotel district.
We live in a very quiet residential neighborhood. Last year, a newcomer bought a home across the street from mine and listed it on AirBnB. My neighbors and I shut that down after two months. How?
1. We discovered the listiing on AirBnb after noticing increased NOISE and activity.
2. We documented the noise, trash, and other effects of this rental. video/audio. (iphones are rly useful)
3. We filed multiple complaint forms at the city/county and even state level.
4. We circulated an online petition for neighbors to sign and submit to elected officials.
Two months later, asta AirBnB TRASH! That’s how its done.
Thank you JP!!! I’ll be printing this out to give to all of our neighbors in what used to be a lovely, private, quiet rural street. Wish us luck!
thats exactly what i am going to do if its not too late and the neighborhood isnt all airbnbs yet
i will get to the bottom of it during the next election as a poll worker i am going to work my own precinct. and i will look up every name and address to cross check with the assessors office
wait so this site is actually is sponsored by amazon and not airbnb? lol
as an amazon associate and somewhat hates stvrs next to me i dont know what to make of this
How did you get neighbors in your neighborhood to sign petition online. I need to shut this one down beside me. I could sue for the owners being a nuisance but who has that much money to do so?
I live next door to one of these Airbnbs in South Florida, the real estate investor does not live on premises, and has several listings in this area, as well as in Michigan. I’ve had to call police on loud parties, that have woke me up. The host never comes to the property and his garbage cans are always on the curb, and most of the time I have to push them out in order to get them emptied. I don’t do it for him, I do it because of the insect problem. Some other problems include: blocking our driveway with his guests parking, despite a sign I put up, loud barking dogs – in fact, all day yesterday and night, lack of pest control at his property causes problems for those of us who do take care of this, and maintain the yard. I am disabled and my roommate is a senior, once when I had a problem the host had the nerve to suggest I go over late at night and ask his renters to be quiet. Yeah sure, I’m going to bang on the door with a bunch a drunk frat boys and risk my own safety. This host doesn’t respond most of the time when I contact him and posts no rules on his listing. He has created a nuisance for the neighborhood and all he cares about is making money. This home was also burglarzied, and I happened to be home and called police and subject was apprehended. If this happens again, I’ll just let them take what they want, even after the burglary, he still shows no respect for the neighbors, myself included. This is the worst thing to live next door to, if you have an absentee host.
I live in a single family neighborhood. The house beside me was a rental. Horrible tenants owned by a realtor at that. Finally I put my foot down and told the realtor she knows the bylaws and if she doesn’t follow them I was gonna she ht. Well she sold the house . To the nice couple I thought that lived next to it on the other side. Well was I surprised when they told me by registered mail it was going to be a STRP/owner occupied. How so in a residential neighborhood. No one lives in the house they just have a locked key pad door for guests to come/go as they please even though it’s an owner/occupied permit. The way they skirted or cheated the system was because they live beside it. It’s not zoned as the same property. I called codes they do nothing. Useless! The owners are rude and could care less of what My privacy and enjoyment is in my home. He even went as far as to taking down my fence that’s been up for years and damaged it but the police didn’t care. They said it was a civil matter. Yes vandalism is a civil matter Since when. He also took out 3 ft of my land to divert water from flooding the house since I live uphill. He knew that before he bought it. Now he has stake the land and I’m not sure if it’s right because he moved the 3 posts while he was bulldozing/grading in a residential neighborhood. I called the police/BMAL/Codes/Chief of Police Nothing! The city want do a thing but I’m sure if one popped up by their home they would. I have used my last resource and that’s the local news. Maybe they will pick up the story. If not than the only thing to do is move. Which I think that’s what they want me to do. He asked if was gonna sell . I would never sell to him because of what he put me thru. Total HELL. I’m looking for contractors only that will tear down this home and build another. Which would cause his guests that think he’s av4.9 host a horrible nights sleep. Then I hope the contractor rents it out as Airbnb to get his business. How dare someone cone into a neighborhood and try to take it over.
Similar to our situation. You should put the fence back up!
Why not impose fines that pay for a neighbors place where they have some peace and enjoyment at like a 5 star hotel or a resort or a nearby airbnb that is vacant. I mean hell if airbnb truly even cared abount anything but the money they would have came up with this as a possible solution. But no . the host nexg to me will fine the noise makers for his own gain or shell out money for fines to tbe city for violations so of course tbe cities turn a blind eye and deaf ear because it pays to do so.
Can anyone be rich who isnt a narcissist and or sociopath by now? Doubt it can I ask you all a question? Because as of now it’s hard not to see this entite fiasco as intentional harassment of people living in peaceful neighborhoods. I’m referring to these akrbnb hosts who I think are part of some investors scheme to buy up as much real estate therefore being in control of who can live where and I doubt it will be republicans they would allow to be long term tenants. Thereby in control of the party , political party that dominatss over each state.
I feel like theres some dirty real estate gaming going on here and these investors know just what to do and what drives people to give up and move. They are bullies . plain and simple. And I think its us being targeted on my block just becauss we are mostly Republican voters. I think its a strategic move and for now we need to stand our ground and not cave . find whatever you can and do whatever it takes to not lose your cool and we will eventually get the last laugh, the.final say. …
Everyone who is against Airbnb seems to think there is zero vetting going on and that transient people are unsafe to be around. I’m wondering just how they’re getting their neighbors? Do you know your neighbors criminal activity? Do you have any way of knowing past? Of course not! I’m not really for or against airbnb bit don’t act like you have fully vetted your neighbors. Honestly my neighbors on both sides of me no basically nothing about me and I know nothing about them. Small talk and occasionally bringing bread our cookies to the neighbors isn’t vetting. Just saying
BIG difference:
Neighbors had to come up with the cash/mortgage to buy the place, which implies a certain level of responsibility and trustworthiness.
The transients only need to come up with $150-200, and they don’t even need to be ID checked.
We have an opposite problem. An Airbnb started in a Little house next to ours . We live in a rural forest area on an acre. She is demanding that we not do any building (we’re building a shop soon) on weekends when her guests are there. (We plan to do building on any and all days that work best for our helpers). She tried to stop us from building a fence between the two properties. It’s constantly one thing after the other. If she would Just mind her own half acre property and not concern herself so much with us it sure would make life more peaceful! We also had to inform her that our private property is not a trail area to go thru!!
I live in a condo that has cardboard thin walls and was built in the 1940’s and noise is a major problem. There is no insulation or soundproofing between the neighbouring units upstairs or next door. The unit directly above me is an air bnb and they have made my life complete hell. The air bnb guests have no clue that the building has no soundproofing so everytime I open and close the microwave or even move a muscle, the air bnb guests upstairs react to the slightest bit of noise by stomping around upstairs. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells all the time. It’s so frustrating. What kind of stupid people would choose an air bnb in an old residential condo that consists of 36 units and then complain about the fact that residents are going about their daily lives. If peace and quiet was their priority then they should have hired a private house in a quiet location. But no, these idiots want their cake and then to eat it too