How do you maintain a good relationship with neighbours?

[Liv]

Hey everyone,

I think several hosts agree that maintaining a healthy relationship with neighbours can be vital to hosting. Having a supportive community who are on board with having Airbnb guests in the area might be just as important as having a clear listing description.

It’d be great to hear about your experience dealing with neighbours to find out what are the best practices when it comes to being considerate of them and making sure you’ve got their support.

I’ve seen CC members talking about different approaches such as enforcing house rules to keep guests from disturbing the community and always being available to neighbours in case they need to report something.

Have you ever had any hosting issues involving neighbours? Is there anything you do to make sure neighbours are on your side? 

Thanks,

Liv

[Laura2592]

We are extremely lucky to have fantastic neighbors. We befriended them and invite them to our cottage often during our stays. They keep an eye out for guest antics or issues. I guess the only tip I have is to offer them the use of your Airbnb for their family overflow if you can. Our neighbors had some guests pre-pandemic for a baby shower and we were able to house them as a payback for all the times they helped us out (cutting up a tree fallen after a storm, telling us when packages arrive or bringing them in, keeping a watch for parties, blowing out a candle our cleaners forgot.) They talk up our cottage quite a bit and have driven people to our bookings. 

[Anonymous]

It's been rumored that one of @Laura2592 's neighbors is Hot. 

That can't be bad for bookings!

[Liv]

@Anonymous 😂 

[Liv]

@Laura2592 That's amazing! I really like the idea of offering your cottage, it sounds like a sweet way to thank your neighbours for their support. 

Have they ever contacted you regarding a party?

[Laura2592]

@Liv  yes they have alerted us to all kinds of strange things and really are a blessing.

@Anonymous  you scamp! I keep telling you that was the opinion of ONE very odd guest. You are more than welcome to visit and make your own determinations once travel is available.

[Anonymous]

@Laura2592  Believe me, when travel is a thing again I would love to visit your lovely place, and I promise I won't run around the room with a burning Duraflame and throw it out the door. But should the opportunity ever arise, I can guarantee you an Honest Review of Hot Neighbor.

[Debra300]

@Liv,

My neighbors are integral to helping us monitor our property while we are away.  We inform them when guests will be on property, and they tell us about any unusual activities.  Their personal observations sense things that the security cameras cannot.  My neighbor in Atlanta is actually our property manager when we are not on site, and insures the lawn is mowed, garbage is picked up, and he is the primary contact person for guests.

[Liv]

@Debra300 Making a neighbour your property manager is such a great idea!

I'm curious, how did that happen? Did he proactively start to help out and eventually became guest's primary contact?

[Debra300]

@Liv,

Here's the irony in our story.  It turns out that our neighbor used to own our house, but lost it in foreclosure during the Great Recession, and then he moved down the street (there are only six houses in our immediate area).  We bought it from the lender.  He still has a couple of rental properties, and he also watches the house of our next-door neighbor who frequently lives abroad (we didn't meet him for the first two years that we lived in the house, because he was on an around-the-world sailing trip).  When we decided to have a rental, it was almost a given that he'd be our property manager, and we are happy with the arrangement.  So far, he's gotten very favorable comments in the reviews.

[Liv]

@Debra300 Whoa! I guess it must be pretty cool for him to be close to the house in a way. Nice arrangement 😊

[Emilia42]

I have never really discussed my Airbnbs with my neighbors because I have never had anything go wrong that would affect them. One thing I do with longer-term Airbnb guests (those staying 2+ weeks) is include in the welcome note who the neighbors are (i.e. You may see XX in her garden from the back window, or sometimes XX cuts across the yard to the mailbox.) I think it reminds guests that the neighbors are real people with whom they are now sharing a neighborhood.

[Emilia42]

I should also add that I am more afraid of my neighbors disturbing my Airbnb guests than the other way around. 

[Liv]

@Emilia42 Ooh, that' interesting! Nice insight and a good way to kindly remind guests to be mindful of neighbours.

😂  has a guest ever mentioned they were disturbed by your neighbours?

[John5097]

@Liv 

I've always maintained great relationship with my neighbors. I let them know what my plans were and I've always been very considerate. My Airbnb guest have been exceptionally considerate, responsible, and haven't caused a single problem or complaint. My long term renter before this was more disruptive to the neighbors despite my best effort to find a low key tenant. I was concerned that would have caused a problem when I applied for my STR permit, as the zoning department puts out a notification in the front  yard that I had applied for a permit, where neighbors can call in with concerns, but them just not wanting one isn't a valid reason to deny it. I also like having a permit as if it were an illegal one all it would take is one call and it would be over. While with a legal one it would take at least three violations in livability court, where an actual citation would need to be issued.  Like most listing I also state its very quiet neighborhood, with very friendly neighbors, and no outside noise after 11pm. They wouldn't bother me but I just want to be very considerate to neighbors. Incidentally I just met my new next door neighbor two days ago who is moving in this week and seems really cool. Some of the other neighbors also have also rented out my guest apartment for their parents over the holidays and leave rave reviews. They found it themselves on ABB, knocked on the door, wanted to look at it, and it was just easier for them to book through ABB as it was my first year.