My cottage is one of 6 around a courtyard. (Old stables) With 2 houses next to the 6.
-1 of the 5 neighbours is my LTR with nice tenants picked by me.
-1 is a single man. We nod to each other but have never spoken in the 4-5 years he's been there.
- 1 houses a 90 year old woman who has been there since her youth, and who does not like me having guests, even tho' NONE of them have been any trouble "We don't know who they are." I was so intimidated by her complaints that I neglected to placate by reassuring her, as I should have done... But when she said "WHO was that man in the black car, I didn't like the look of him!" I said "He was a doctor on elderly care, if you have a funny turn, you'll be needing him!" She is not speaking to me now.
- 2 of the other cottages housed a lady in her late 80s and a man of 80+ in the other one. Nice neighbours, supportive of my Airbnb/lodgers. Helpful to guests who've knocked on the wrong door. And gave me encouragement and tips in dealing with nasty (to us all) neighbour; "Tell him to f*** off, you do what you like with your house!"
Sadly, they both died last month, after a lifetime in the cottages. So I'll be getting new neighbours; will have to think about how to introduce my hosting endeavours to them...
The big house on the other side has a family who moved in 5 years ago or so. VERY unpleasant to me AND the nice old neighbours who just died... (Decent neighbour next to him told me he also upset his old neighbours a mere 1 mile away.) - Mr Nasty tried to get me shut down by complaining to Council... Council said "Airbnb, Who cares? That's just like having lodgers really!" Mr Nasty also bends back wing mirrors from my guests' cars, sometimes even snapping them off... Aggressively threatened to report me to Benefits Office... I replied "I'm not on benefits!" He's gone to ground since then; because of that, or because of covid? - Anyway, 6 days ago he was carted off in an ambulance... Current 2 day a week lodger said "What goes around comes around." Mmmm......