We have recently had a similar situation where neighbors complained to our town's Planning & Zoning office about our airbnb.
Their primary complaint was that they did not like strangers walking on the street. Their secondary complaint was that they did not appreciate guests accidentally pulling up to their driveway looking for our location. We understand their concerns, and in no way intended for them to feel unsafe or disturbed. These instances rarely happen, but nevertheless we are working hard to make changes so that our airbnb will not bother our neighbors.
I had a conversation with the neighbor, letting them know that we apologize for the inconvenience, and want to correct the situation. We told them that we will state clearly on our listing that we ask guests not to walk on our immediate street, in efforts to respect the privacy of the community. We have also added recommendations for nearby parks if guests want to walk or hike. We also put this in our house rules, as well as on informational brochures that we place in each room. We cannot actually prevent guests from walking on a public street, but we are hoping that by making the request in a respectful way, our guests will at least be understanding.
Additionally, we now send guests a photo of the front of our house, as well as the address, to help them find the right location. I like the suggestion of leaving the porch lights on, and we may do that too, especially during the dark winter months.
Further, we gave our neighbors our direct contact information and asked them to call or text us if they have additional concerns, so that we can address them immediately. This way, we can **bleep** things in the bud without involving town officials.
Although this situation has been uncomfortable, I have learned a lot.
First, since our town does not have laws specific to airbnb, we as hosts end up operating in a blurry grey space rather than clear black-and-white. There is no permit process, nor are there any guidelines or rules.
Second, a mindful and respecful conversation can go a long way in resolving concerns and preventing them from becoming bigger issues. This goes for our neighbors as well as our guests. Once our neighbors saw that we were genuinely trying to correct the issue, and that we cared about them, their frustration was greatly reduced. Also, we politely informed our guests about the neighbor's request not to walk on our street, and although the guests (understandably) found it odd, they also understood that there are external pressures from the neighbors, and thus, our guests were happy to comply. We also provided a 10% discount for the inconvenience, which they appreciated.
I hope that all of these changes will help us to avoid any future problems, and will help us and our neighbors to have peace of mind.
Lynsey, I sincerely hope that you and the other hosts in Mystic/Stonington were able to sort out the issues with the complaint. I would love to follow this story and learn more about how to best approach our planning & zoning office, if that should become necessary.
