Airbnb Neighbor Complaints: What to Do about Them

Although running an Airbnb can be rewarding, there are some challenges that any host can encounter, one of which is dealing with unhappy neighbors. Airbnb neighbor complaints can be tricky to handle, and they can cause serious obstacles to your business, so the best strategy is to prevent them from happening.

Read on to find out how to avoid neighbor complaints and what to do if your neighbors are upset with your guests’ behavior.

You may also want to check out our article to learn about common Airbnb complaints from guests and find practical tips on avoiding them and ensuring good reviews.

Common Reasons for Airbnb Neighbor Complaints

While each situation is unique, most people aren’t enthusiastic about having strangers around their homes, so they won’t be happy if any issues arise. So if your guests are rude, unpleasant, or aggressive, your neighbors may be concerned about their safety and feel uncomfortable in their own homes.

Suppose your vacation rental home is regularly used as a venue for parties and events. In that case, your neighbors are most likely to get frustrated with excessive noise, especially if your property is located in a quiet neighborhood.

Parking problems can also cause conflicts between your neighbor and your guests. If your guests park on your neighbor’s property or their cars block drive ways, your neighbors will be annoyed, and you can expect a visit from your local authorities.

Parking issues typically happen if you don’t provide guests with clear instructions about where and how they can park their cars. You should include this information as well as check-in instructions in your message and send it to your guests before they arrive at your property so they won’t have to make assumptions.

You’ll never forget to do it if you automate this guest messaging using vacation rental software like Hospitable.com. Our tool will ensure excellent communication with your guests, saving you time and effort.

What Could Happen if Hosts Ignore Neighbor Complaints?

If your neighbors are unhappy with something happening at your vacation rental, they could begin to complain to you directly. This is probably the best scenario, and if you respond appropriately and resolve the issue, you can keep law enforcement and Airbnb support out of the situation.

But if you don’t do anything about it, your neighbors may feel that they can’t trust you and will take additional steps. They can report you and your property to Airbnb using the Neighborhood Support process that allows concerned neighbors to submit a complaint online.

Airbnb will review the issue and contact you as a host. They will also do a follow-up investigation and report back to the neighbor. The good news is that Airbnb is unlikely to suspend or take down your listing, but having many complaints won’t be good for your vacation rental business.

The neighbor could also decide to take legal action. If your guests break specific municipal or community laws and regulations, such as noise codes, your neighbors may call local police, code enforcement, or building management. They could also file a lawsuit against you in a small claims court, although it’s the last resort for anyone to take because lawsuits are risky and require time and money.

How to Prevent Neighbor Complaints about Your Short-Term Rental

Being proactive and taking some common sense measures can help you avoid issues and ensure that your Airbnb runs smoothly. Here’s what you can do to avoid conflicts with your neighbors.

Build relationships with neighbors

Get to know your neighbors, communicate with them, tell them about your Airbnb, and let them know that you care about the comfort of people who live near your rental. Ask them if they have any boundaries that you should be aware of and respect them. Tell them they can always contact you if they have any concerns. A good idea is also to keep them informed about upcoming guests.

Screen your guests

Thoroughly screen potential guests before accepting bookings. Check out their Airbnb profile and the potential guest’s short-term rental history. Read reviews of potential guests made by previous hosts and ensure they’re consistently positive.

Accept bookings if previous hosts describe potential guests as friendly, quiet, and good communicators. But if other hosts complain about a potential guest, especially about making noise or their rude behavior, it’s a red flag. It’s just common sense to avoid taking this guest.

Invest in noise management tools

Install a privacy-safe noise measurement system, such as Alertify that will help you prevent issues before they even happen and avoid complaints and hefty fines. Such devices measure decibel levels and duration of the noise, but they don’t identify specific sounds or record them, so guests can still keep their privacy. You’ll be able to monitor the noise level online via a mobile app or website and contact your guests if things become too loud.

Learn more in our recent Masterclass.

Set clear house rules

Clearly communicate your house rules in a specific section of your listing and include them in your Airbnb house manual. Limit the number of guests allowed on your property. Don’t allow parties and events that may attract large crowds and misbehaving guests. Inform your guests about community rules, such as music cut-off time and parking restrictions. They need to respect these community rules when staying at your property.

If you decide to apply any penalties if the house rules are broken, make sure that you communicate this clearly to your guests. It’s essential to include information about your rules and penalties in personal conversations with your guests before their stay and provide them with quick answers to all their questions.

Of course, Airbnb messaging takes time, and busy short-term rental hosts have a lot of other responsibilities and routine tasks on their to-do lists. But it’s possible to make your life easier using vacation rental software like Hospitable.com. Our platform provides all the tools you need to forget about 90% of routine operations.

How to Handle Airbnb Neighbor Complaints

If despite all your efforts, problems do occur, it’s crucial to listen to your neighbor’s concerns when they reach out to you and do everything to resolve the issue and improve the experience for everyone.

For example, if your neighbor suspects a party is happening on your property, thank them for calling to let you know. Make it clear that if the neighbor is right, you will cancel the guest reservation immediately and call the police. You should also apologize for the fact that your neighbor was disturbed.

Final Thought

When you rent out your property, it’s crucial to have good relationships with your neighbors. After all, you, as a host, need a support community, so don’t forget about your neighbors’ rights.

A few people would be thrilled to live near an STR property and deal with strangers constantly disrupting their peace. That’s why you need to take preventative measures that will allow you to fix the problems before they even happen.

Set clear house rules for guests and penalties for breaking them, regularly communicate with your neighbors, and take their complaints seriously. This way, you can create a pleasant experience for guests and neighbors and ensure your Airbnb business thrives.

Responsible Airbnb hosts always plan for the unexpected, so you may want to check out our blog article to learn more about common Airbnb problems that you may face as a host.