Photo: Rainer Fuhrmann (Shutterstock)
When Rome fell to the barbarians, it didn’t happen overnight. The same thing can be said for neighborhoods that get ruined by short-term rentals like Airbnbs. When you bought your home or signed the lease on your apartment you probably thought you were buying a refuge, a place where you could relax, recharge, and live your best life. You become part of a community and, because you’re all stuck together, everyone usually tries to remain respectful.
Then came the barbarians in the form of Airbnb, Vrbo, and other short-term rental platforms that allow folks to rent out their homes—or portions of them—for short periods of time. On the one hand, this innovation has allowed millions of Americans to generate income or travel freely, which are good things. On the other hand, it’s also transformed a lot of homes and apartments into largely unregulated mini-hotels. Having a short-term rental in your neighborhood can result in a long list of misery: Noisy parties, clogged parking, and property damage. If you haven’t heard a lot of nightmare stories, that might be because Airbnb spends a lot of money to keep those out of sight.
What is the issue with short-term rentals?
The problem is the guests aren’t part of your neighborhood, and so they may not feel bound by the normal rules of polite co-existence. But short-term rentals also lack the sort of staff and management traditional hotels offer. The owners are often off-site or even largely anonymous. While most short-term rentals go smoothly, there are plenty of examples of Airbnbs that ruin neighborhoods. The problem got so bad that Airbnb and Vrbo had to team up to create an initiative to shut down so-called “party houses” on their platforms in order to avert a PR disaster. Even the most conscientious host can find it difficult to control what happens once they hand over the keys to a bunch of randos in town for a bacchanalia.
It’s one thing to occasionally have a rowdy crew in the Airbnb next door, but it’s something else when a constant stream of strangers is ruining your neighborhood. So what can you do to fight back? A lot, actually.
Talk to your neighbor about your concerns
To paraphrase George Costanza, we’re living in a society here. Neighbors have been feuding over noise, parking, and curb appeal since the dawn of private property, so your first step should always be to reach out and talk to the property owner or Airbnb host. There’s every possibility that they’re not aware of the problems their guests are causing, and they have a financial interest in avoiding a war with their neighbors.
This could be a casual chat on the street or a phone call if you know the owner. Often, Airbnb hosts show up to supervise renovations or cleaning or to hand over the keys, so you might be able to just grab a moment to air your concerns. If you have no idea who actually owns the property next door, you can try contacting the host through Airbnb if you have an account, or you can try contacting Airbnb’s customer service.
Airbnb also maintains a “Neighborhood Support” resource you can try if all else fails. Sometimes just getting in touch with the host is all that’s needed to change the tone of the situation; hosts can take steps to screen their guests more effectively, and just opening lines of communication can improve everything.
Finally, consider greeting new renters when you see them and having a civil discussion about noise and other concerns. Most people aren’t looking for a fight when they’re staying in a short-term rental. Just reminding them that there are other people in the neighborhood—who are paying attention—is often all that’s needed to tamp down the ragers.
Check the rules about short-term rentals
If the Airbnb host isn’t interested in your concerns, is openly hostile, or has given you a lot of empty promises (or downright lies) about making things better, your next step is to do some research. There’s been a growing wave of legislation around the country designed to limit what Airbnb hosts can get away with. Some of these laws limit how many days a year the host can rent their property, while others prevent them from renting their homes for very short periods in an effort to prevent a revolving door of obnoxious strangers from afflicting your life. Moreover, many municipalities require Airbnb hosts to be licensed or to register their properties. Finding out if your neighborhood nemesis has done so is just a phone call away in most cases.
If there are no specific laws to refer to, contact your local planning department or zoning board to find out if your neighborhood’s zoning has any impact on short-term rentals. If you’re in a homeowners association (HOA) or your neighborhood has private covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) that govern noise or property use, investigate those, as well. It can often be useful to spend a little money on a land-use attorney. They can help sift through the laws and ordinances to tell you what your rights are.
The key is to arm yourself with facts so you know what you can and cannot do. If you know you can file a long list of official complaints, for example, you can then go back to the host (or Airbnb itself) and try reasoning again—but this time, you’re carrying a big stick.
Contact everyone about your short-term rental issues
If you’re armed with real information and your good faith effort to find a peaceful solution with the property host has failed, it’s time to make some phone calls or send some emails.
Certainly, file a complaint with Airbnb. But don’t stop there. Contact your local zoning or planning department if you know the Airbnb is violating local ordinances and register a complaint. If your municipality requires licensing or registration and your neighbor has failed to comply, drop that dime as well.
If the host isn’t violating any of those rules, your next step could be calling the local police and making a noise complaint. Most communities have “nuisance” laws on the books designed to prevent anything “that interferes with the use of property,” which includes noise or other irritating behaviors. You could also file a complaint against Airbnb with the Better Business Bureau.
The nuclear option for the Airbnb menace
If all else fails, consider filing a lawsuit. You might have a case to claim that noise and other disturbances compose a “private nuisance,” which you can take to small claims court as long as you only seek damages. Just check the limit to monetary damages in your local jurisdiction. If you want to seek an injunction to stop your neighbor from renting their property, things obviously get a little more complicated—but it might be worth it depending on how miserable you are.
Most Airbnb hosts are normal folks who just want to make some extra money, and most disputes over short-term rentals can be resolved with a phone call. But when they can’t, at least now you know your options.
