Warning: Rant!!!! Air B&Bs have destroyed my neighborhood

[Coventina]

Have any of my fellow DUers experienced this?


I live in a working-class neighborhood in South Scottsdale, AZ.
People think of Scottsdale as a place for the uber-wealthy, but historically, that's not been true. Some areas have always been affluent, but the majority (particularly in South Scottsdale) have been middle and working class.

I live in a tiny home, built in 1959, in a working-class subdivision. I bought my house in 2004 for a very modest price.
Since I've lived there, the neighborhood has changed beyond recognition.

All the ranch houses are being torn down and rebuilt as huge as possible on the modest lots to have 5+ bedrooms, each one with a bathroom. This is all because they are being turned into Air B&Bs.

Every night I'm surrounded by loud parties being held in these party houses, loud music, screams and shouts.
Our neighborhood streets are littered with liquor bottles and other trash. Supercars (McLarens, Lambos, Ferraris) race down our 25 mph streets.

It's just horrible.

A house a few doors down is selling for 2 million (the original ranch style house was torn down), it was constructed to be an Air B&B with 5 bedrooms, 5 baths, and bunk beds staged in most of the bedrooms.

Why has it become OK to run these hotels in residential neighborhoods?

Granted, I could sell my house for a lot of money, they'd scrape the lot and put in another Air B&B, but then I'd have to buy somewhere and I happen to LIKE my neighborhood (aside from this problem).

Is this just a first world problem?
I'm tired of the noise, the trash, the dangerous drivers, I just want to live in the neighborhood I bought into. Not this non-stop frat party.

[brush]

1. Sounds like it won't go back to before so it's best to sell.

Get the money, rent for a while until you find an affordable area you like, and invest the proceeds to make money until you're ready.

[Patterson]

5. I agree with this.

[delisen]

26. Local govt and builders/developers want housing prices & taxes higher.

Homeowners do it to get income tax losses to claim on small businesses.

Often this is being promoted as way to increase density and diversity, and make housing affordable for for people being priced out of cities.

Big problems will be noise, parking,and drainage.

[Coventina]

29. Nothing about what is going on in my neighborhood is "affordable housing"

I bought my house in 2004 for $200,000.
Now houses are going for $2 million? How is that affordable?

Trailer parks being closed and luxury condos being put in their place.
Not affordable.

It's all backwards and benefiting only the already rich.

[womanofthehills]

40. A friend posted something similar last week on Facebook

She lives in downtown Albuquerque and the houses in her neighborhood are being bought up for B&B ‘s. Her neighbors- many who have rented for yrs are all being kicked out of their rentals.

[gldstwmn]

56. Arizona is going to be facing serious water problems in the coming decade due to water cutbacks

from the Colorado River. Where do they expect to find water for all of those people? I lived through gentrification of my old neighborhood. I sold before they built a huge monstrosity next to my house. The city finally had to step in and make changes to the zoning.
I've been to Scottsdale and I really liked it but I wouldn't want to live there in the summer. I know the college is in Tempe. What is everyone doing at these air B&B's? Is there some attraction that's drawing them there? There are some beautiful resorts in that area but I would imagine those people are staying in the hotels bordering the resorts.

[StarryNite]

82. The water issue in Arizona is getting really bad.

As if all the homes and apartments going up isn't bad enough businesses are being encouraged to move their factories here. Huge water guzzling factories like the new semiconductor plant that's going up.

[delisen]

64. I agree. The house on my street with a bib sold for over a million.

It seems that here making houses more affordable by allowing bnb additions is just a smokescreen to benefit rich homeowners and construction industry.

The rest of us get our quality of life diminished to serve the rich and greedy.

[soldierant]

54. I'd want to sell, but I'd look around first

at areas and prices and potential for gentrifying to try to avoid getting into the same situation again.

I'm retired so I would look beyond my own town, but that might not be possib;e for you.

But yes, if you get enough to invest - and can find a reasonable rent - that certainly would work.

[TheRealNorth]

2. Republicans gotta have a place to go for their coke-fueled orgies

Without the wife and kids knowing (or Madison Cawthorn being invited...).

[Sanity Claws]

3. Are there zoning laws in Scottsdale?

Zoning laws generally prohibit hotels and other businesses in areas zoned residential. It might be worth finding out if these Air B&Bs are in violation of zoning laws and who enforces the zoning laws in Scottsdale.

[Coventina]

4. Get this: Our RWNJ state legislature passed a law forbidding Short Term Rental controls

So local governments can't do anything about them.

[keithbvadu2]

9. Not exactly the party of small gov't, eh?

Not exactly the party of small gov't, eh?

[Coventina]

12. No, and they never have been. They don't care about the size of government

as long as it benefits the "right" people.

[paleotn]

75. Never had been. Never will be.

[Marcuse]

34. Local governments can easily and cheaply build speed bumps into residential streets.

[marybourg]

37. But I believe HOAs can still do so.

My HOA bans *any* rentals and we’ve not been challenged, nor have adjoining ones. Maybe come look at the west valley. It’s not Scottsdale, but it’s more affordable.

[former9thward]

13. Arizona does not allow municipalities to ban Airbnbs.

Towns and cities are limited to safety, noise, parking and similar neighborhood nuisance regulations.

[Rebl2]

36. Think

I would be calling the police every night about the noise, trash, parking etc.

[former9thward]

65. Yes, they should.

The police need a record of abuse to control these things.

[Coventina]

84. The police have told us it's not their problem.

Unless the noise exceeds a certain decibel level, they won't do anything. (the level is basically rock concert level of noise, so even the loudest party won't exceed it).

Same with trash and parking. If they don't see it, they wont cite, and they refuse to come out and inspect trash.

[Meowmee]

107. Take pics of everything and document it

It is hard to believe rock concert level is allowed. Maybe I have misunderstood and it has to be rock level to be disallowed. Then record the level. I once called about a very loud music / party that happened every year because one of my cats was ill and it was going on forever. The police officer started talking to me about my cats, lol, nothing was ever done about the noise though.

[Coventina]

109. Apologies for my lack of clarity.

I was trying to say that it is hard to get up to a level that's considered a noise violation.

This has been a sticking point for a while. In "Old Town" Scottsdale, there is a very lively nightclub scene, and the people who live in the neighborhood have been complaining for at least a decade that the noise ordinance is too lax.

I'm finding that to be true, now that the nightclub is now next door to me.

[Meowmee]

110. Thanks

Yes it is very hard to get anything done about noise levels which is crazy.

[Rhiannon12866]

53. That was my first thought, too.

[TallMike]

6. Its the first sign:

Y'all gonna be out of water in 36-60 odd months anyway. Get out while you can.

[former9thward]

14. Please link to where they will be "out of water" in 36 to 60 months.

No one says that. No scientist says that. Most cities in AZ, including cities like Scottsdale and Phoenix, have about 15 years of water stored in reserve underground.

[intheflow]

31. I think they were speaking hyperbolically,

but the point is, sell now because in the relative near future, it will be worthless.

[Kaleva]

61. This article sites sources as saying current water usage rates are unsustainable

"State officials acknowledged in the latest management plan for the Phoenix AMA that the amount of groundwater that’s allowed to be pumped under grandfathered rights "far exceeds the amount of groundwater available for pumping under safe-yield conditions."

“It has been clear for at least 20 years that unreplenished pumping is the Achilles heel of the ability to reach safe-yield,” Ferris and Porter wrote."


"After four decades of groundwater regulation, they said, “there is no real prospect of any AMA sustaining a long-term balance between annual withdrawals and recharge.”

This leaves many areas vulnerable to declining water levels. And while overpumping threatens to exhaust aquifers, they wrote, pressures are growing on supplies of surface water due to what many scientists describe as a 21-year “megadrought” and the long-term “aridification” of the West — a drying trend that seems likely to persist with climate change.

“Too much groundwater has been pumped to ignore these issues any longer,” Ferris and Porter wrote. “If Arizona is to prosper into the next century, our focus needs to turn to what is essential for our future — the preservation of our groundwater and our increasingly fragile aquifers. Our own survival is at stake.”"

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2021/05/13/arizona-is-depleting-groundwater-in-many-areas-researchers-warn/5059471001/

[former9thward]

67. I am in the Phoenix area and the water cost for my household is about $1 a day.

The water cost for my house in Chicago, which is next to Lake Michigan, is about double that. So I am very skeptical of these articles which have been appearing for decades.

[Kaleva]

71. I live a short walk from Lake Superior and my base water bill is $53 a month.

However, you can't deny the reports that water tables in your area are dropping and dropping fast. I, on the other hand, and your home in Chicago, will not run short of water at anytime in the foreseeable future.

[keep_left]

7. Are some of these houses also being listed on Vrbo? I don't really get the difference between...

...AirBnB and Vrbo, except that it looks like Vrbo rentals tend to be in coastal, "touristy" areas and the houses/condos tend to be extremely high-end. However, that's just the impression I get. The Vrbo ads always show gigantic places (5-6+ rooms, pool, etc.). Anyway, your situation is unfortunately not that unusual.

BBC article, "What AirBnB Really Does To A Neighborhood": https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45083954

[Coventina]

10. Yes. I was using Air B&B as a catchall term for all Short Term Rentals

There are dozens of these STR listing services.

[keep_left]

15. The reason I asked is because some of those Vrbo ads show some pretty wild...

...parties and get-togethers. The ads often show huge places and equally huge numbers of people staying there. It's not at all surprising those ads would appeal to renters who wanted to do the same kind of partying.

[Coventina]

17. Yes, the people buying up houses around here are tearing down the houses and building "party pads"

With as many bedrooms as they can squeeze in and swimming pools / hot tubs / other recreational stuff in any available lawn space.

Last night I was treated to an all-night cornhole tournament in the property behind me.

[Fla Dem]

48. I know it would be difficult for you to leave the neighborhood you've lived in for 18 years.

But from what you say, it's no longer "that" neighborhood, nor will it ever be. It will only get worse as more homeowners sell and move away. You're already sound miserable from the constant noise, trash and general annoyance. Again, it's not going to get better.

I just looked on Zillow /South Scottsdale, AZ. Not many homes available for under $500,000. Start looking for possible areas to move to, close to shopping, services (your current doctors, dentists, banks etc).

I know moving is difficult and easy for me to say, but please do consider it.

The life you're living now is not good for you.

Good luck, keep us posted on what you decide to do.

[Coventina]

85. It's actually been 26 years in the neighborhood.

I lived in a townhome nearby since 97.
I've been living in the Phoenix area since my dad brought us here in 79.

My dad was bringing us back to his roots. His family has lived here since before Arizona was a state.

So, I have really deep roots here.

And, I love my home.

I spent the first 5 years remodeling it. I'd still like to do more, but time and other obligations have slowed that down.
If I sell, they'll scrape the lot, which just depresses me.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Zoning enforcement and tax assessment fails to keep up with changes

Government officials sleep through these things. Don't even know if appealing your assessment, which would juice your home's value if successful, would be a strategy.

[Big Blue Marble]

106. It is not just enforcement.

There is major pressure all around the country to get rid of zoning, to claim it is a racist remnant
as an excuse to trash residential neighborhoods.

[gulliver]

11. I love my neighbors...wait what did you say about your property values?

[XanaDUer2]

16. Corporations are buying up

Trailer parks, and throwing people out of their affordable housing. This country has lost its mind, and corps rule us all.

[Coventina]

19. Yes, we used to have several trailer parks in the area. All gone now. High rise luxury condos

instead.

Where are all the wealthy people coming from that can own these properties?

Everyone I know is going down in the world, not up.

[XanaDUer2]

27. I think the same

Apts, nice ones, but still, around me here in NC are 1600/month 1 bedroom. There's a mega rich area other side of town. No one i worked with could swing that rent wo eating up 50% salary. Older people owned their homes and had working or retired spouses.

So, who are these singles earning all that, outside of some hospital staff? Big service industry here.

[MissB]

43. I assume they all come from California with cash

We see that a lot in Oregon, where housing costs are outrageous.

[AnyFunctioningAdult]

101. People have been fleeing the even higher prices

In California and Washington State for Arizona for many years now. Rental prices are up over 30% over the last two years too in Scottsdale last I looked.

[NJCher]

78. NY Times did a long article on this

Investors Are Buying Mobile Home Parks. Residents Are Paying a Price.
Across the country, corporate landlords are expanding manufactured housing portfolios and driving up rents, pushing longtime residents out.


https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/us/mobile-home-park-ownership-costs.html?searchResultPosition=3

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

80. for a very long time companies have been buying up trailer parks.

When I first moved to Santa Fe in 2008, I had a temp job at a trailer park, and was appalled at what the residents were being charged. They were paying, for the rent space and for the trailer, far more than I was for rent, or later for a mortgage.

[FreeState]

18. AirBNB has a no parties rule and will close down the rental

Seriously - report them it does work: https://www.airbnb.com/neighbors/request-call

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2704/party-and-events-policy


Note: I rent out an Airbnb and know the above works because I’ve used it on one in the Neighborhood. Within 20 minutes the party was stopped and all was quiet.

[Coventina]

21. Sadly, most STR platforms are not that responsive.

I have to admit, I was using Air B&B as a catch-all term, not a precise label for individual properties.

[sanatanadharma]

20. Hello, I'm Kathy in customer sevice, how can I help you?

(Listens to above story of modern life)

"I'm sorry to hear Sir, that you are dissatisfied with your benefits of Capitalism. I will send someone over right away from the 'Division of Right Thinking' to again explain the free back-hand of the marketplace.

[Meowmee]

22. That is awful

I understand your not wanting to leave but maybe if you can really make a lot of money selling your house find somewhere better- ultimately that might be the best decision in the long run. Make sure wherever you relocate to if that’s what you do doesn’t have very high property taxes and other expenses like that though.

In our area people have been selling their houses and people are buying them and then renting to students. Someone had started a committee to try and stop that because it’s against the zoning but I don’t know what happened with it. There was only one house where they were having very noisy parties at night in the summer but they’re not very close to us, there was a lot of garbage. I think it was sold to a family it looks like now.

[Torchlight]

23. My gf bullied the city council to place speed bumps nearby, and it (eventually) worked.

Pretty much shut down the idiot rolling-coal racers and semi-draggers closer to the school than to us. Took her nine months to convince them the sky is blue, and another three months to see it completed, but change did happen.

[TheBlackAdder]

35. While speed bumps are OK, what really slows traffic are road tables.

.

Road tables are more expensive due to their size and must be long enough for fire trucks to use.

But no vehicles are immune to them. And don't settle for speed humps either.

And by road table, they are asphalt and not those cheap plastic ones that break with use, heat and sunlight.

.

[Torchlight]

38. I've never heard of road tables.

Looked it up when I saw your reply and realized that I've seen them before, but I always thought they were just really fancy speed bumps.

Learned something new today.

[TheBlackAdder]

46. The US DOT refers to them as Speed Tables.

.

They just have to be high enough (ie. curb height) and long enough to have the wheelbase on top of them.

https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/vertical-speed-control-elements/speed-table/

.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

83. Thanks for that link!

I'd never heard of most of those traffic control measures. Fascinating! It's wonderful to see that there are people actually trying to solve pedestrian's problems.

[Captain Zero]

39. I'm going to have to look that up. Road Tables.

nt

[ShazzieB]

49. I just did. Found out they're also called speed tables.

Last edited Tue Apr 26, 2022, 01:14 AM - Edit history (1)

I found this to be helpful: https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/vertical-speed-control-elements/speed-table/

[TheBlackAdder]

52. We're on the same page, posting the same thing. The approach & departure angles also help reduction.

.

It gets the whole vehicle to raise, something that a speed bump does not do as well.

The front raises and then the rear raises. Then the front drops and then the rear.

The approach and departure angles are both set to speed and desired effect.

.

[Torchlight]

62. I have to admit, they look a damn lot nicer too

not as visually intrusive or immediate on the surrounding landscapes as speed bumps are.

[mopinko]

24. it's a pity, cuz it started out as a real boon to middle class people.

esp empty nesters.
was talking to someone about proposed rules in ohio that would basically gut it. you'd be allowed a max of 2 properties, and one of them has to be your primary residence.
my sister does it, and she's had great guests. but living alone, 67, not comfortable w that.

[waddirum]

25. If the neighborhood has really turned

beyond the point of no return, then I recommend that you cash out and find a new place to live. Whether that is in the valley or someplace else, that is for you to decide.

You should feel good that you chose right in 2004.

[2naSalit]

28. Try living within 50 miles of...

A popular national park, even the help can't afford a campsite while working. Nobody can find a long term rental within an affordable range around here. I had to move last year, landlords sold out, and I was lucky that this place was available because I would have ended up back in my car, this time not for lack of income but lack of available housing.

[Coventina]

30. Ugh! So sorry that happened to you!

Housing in this country is just insane nowadays.

And yet, people continue to hate on the homeless.

That's going to be all of us, in a few years, if things don't change.

[Pobeka]

32. I know a neighborhood that had that problem, and finally won in court.

All the neighbors affected took the owner to court for violation of zoning laws, and finally won.

It took a year, but the judge ruled against the party-house air B&B. The owner cleaned up his act and only allowed quiet B&B customers.

[world wide wally]

33. ASU is in Scottadale, isn't it?

That's half of the problem right there as far as the partying goes.

[ChazII]

51. ASU is in the city of Tempe which

borders Scottsdale.

[multigraincracker]

41. I'm in my 4th forever home.

Each one got better.

[beaglelover]

42. You can complain to Air BnB and they will warn the owner of the property.

If the owner gets tons of noise complaints, they will lose access to Air BnB. At least that's how it works here in southern CA.

[ChazII]

44. Yes, but we are in the same side of Scottsdale.

I live near Coronado High and Eldorado Park area.

[Coventina]

86. My brother might be your next door neighbor!

I live about 1 mile north and 1 mile east of you.

[ChazII]

104. It really is a small

world.

[geardaddy]

45. That's the situation in our neighborhood

but that really does sound like an AWFUL experience for you. I'm sorry this is happening to your neighborhood!

[kimbutgar]

47. How about moving to Sun City west ?

No airb&’s and very quiet.

[Coventina]

87. That would be a horrid commute for my job. n/t

[TygrBright]

50. Isn't AZ one of those "Gunz R Us" states? Practice your marksmanship in your yard. n/t

[Maggiemayhem]

55. In Pittsburgh, there was an AirB&B on the Northside

and about 200 people showed up to a party. They were mostly underaged and two minors were shot dead. This just recently happened.i don’t know who carries the liability in a situation like this.

[gypsy11]

114. A lot of investor owned STRs

Are “owned” by LLCs. Pass through LLCs. The profits from the business, in this case the business is the STR, will “pass through “ the LLC into the personal bank account of the person behind the LLC. So the actual person behind the LLC is protected- all they have on the line is what the LLC owns, which is usually just the property. Their personal wealth is not part of the LLC, they’re insulated. So anything that happens on the property or with the property is on the LLC not the actual person. A lot of these are also anonymous LLCs, which are really difficult to trace back to an actual person.

I’d think in this case, if it’s set up with LLC ownership, the most the families could recover are whatever the LLC is worth, so at most, whatever the houses that are owned by the LLC are worth. The actual people behind it? Insulated.

[Baitball Blogger]

57. Your city should have a noise ordinance.

[Coventina]

88. we do, but it's almost impossible to get the police to enforce it. n/t

[jmbar2]

58. Citizens in my county voted to restrict new STRs

I live on the coast in Oregon, where the STR industry came in and was buying up every available home, leaving no place for the locals to live. By converting existing homes, or building new palaces for multiple occupants, they were outstripping the local water and sewer system capacity, without contributing to the costs to maintain or expand capacity.

It took several years, but we got a referendum on the ballot to limit the expansion of STRs. The city also put a moratorium on issuing any new licenses. There's now a 4 year wait. If the home goes out of the rental pool, they go to the end of the line and have to reapply.

I have seen an increasing number of the rentals convert to long term rentals during covid. This takes some out of the rental pool for awhile.

Lack of housing makes it very difficult to hire for essential workers to serve all the tourists, as well as residents. Medical professionals, teachers, park rangers, restaurant workers, can't find anywhere to live.

The rich have too much money and are financializing basic necessities of life out of reach for the rest of us. It's got to stop.

[TheRealNorth]

73. +100

[Kaleva]

100. It's economics. Much more money can be made with STRs then with LTRs

There's also the benefit of bringing in tourist dollars..

I live in a town with a population of 300 and there are 7 STRs in town.

[jmbar2]

105. There is a point of diminishing returns though...

They can't hire the people that they need for essential services. Young people are leaving because they can't to live here. Tourist industry can't find workers. Medical services can't serve the retirees. My doctor left and no one has replaced him.

Mostly importantly though...

I live close to a path into a local wooded area. I see more and more people moving into the woods. Encampments are growing, unseen for now, all around the vacation dwellings, hiking trails and campgrounds. Beat up RVs are playing whack-a-mole with parking enforcement all over town.

The population of unhoused has already overwhelmed Portland and it's expanding here, stretching local health and social services to the breaking point. Small town, decreasing resources, increasing demand.

It's not sustainable. I don't know the answer, but the pace of this unwanted change is accelerating.

[SYFROYH]

59. All I know of South Scottdale was a porn theater

A friend took me there in the late 1980s.

[Diablo del sol]

94. That might have been on the County land between Scottsdale and Tempe.

A one block street just above the River. Worked at a place that was right there in College. Used to be a bar with an underground, stinky basement. Was out there for work and drove down the block about 10 years ago. Holy JESUS was that street a mess. I grew up there and was on the street one time, trying to sell a college car that barely ran to a scrap guy. Go back thirty years later and the street was actually worse!

[mcar]

60. That sounds terrible

My son lives in Washington, DC, in a residential neighborhood. All of the homes have finished basements, most of them basement apartments. Many of them are Air B&Bs, which is great for that area, since there are no hotels nearby. We've stayed in several over the years and they've been lovely, quiet experiences.

I can't imagine those big places in your neighborhood having a steady stream of visitors. I'm sorry for what you are experiencing.

[Kaleva]

63. Climate Change will devastate the region. Sell while you can get top dollar now.

[fierywoman]

66. Extreme dream: have you checked out the prices of little houses in rural France and Italy?

Often under 100,000 euros ...

--- loud party noise makes me crazy.

[TheRealNorth]

76. That's an interesting idea

Without of those countries having little to no population growth, I never thought about how that affects the housing market, especially outside the major cities.

Of course, there are places in KS, NE, and northern MN that are giving incentives for people to move in (but I am assuming the OP desired being in a year-round warm climate near to a major metro area.

[mchill]

68. My first question is

Why is there even an AirBnB market for these size homes? That seems odd to me unless it’s some kind of college party town year round??

Our town has developed, not passed yet, a permitting system that only allows 6 short term rentals within the city limits (I live in a recreation town with a population of around 3000 within the city boundaries). The idea is that our current rental shortage is one outcome of unlimited short term rentals. We recently hired a Code Enforcer to peruse Craigslist, the local newspaper etc for those getting around the permitting process.

In Portland, and for that same reason of rental shortages, a homeowner must live on the property they are renting —eg a room or an ADU.

Your situation sounds insane. The only problem I see for selling your property is that a future owner would also want to make your home into an AirBnB because who would want to live in that environment? At that point, the developer/buyer has the upper hand due to your limited market (you always want to be first out in your neighborhood when you see these changes coming) so I frankly would encourage you to sell asap while it is a sellers market with many people desperate for ANY home and before laws that might change and prohibit new AirBnBs. Your house will lose any value it has at that point.

[Coventina]

89. All the bridal magazines advertise Scottsdale as a place to have bachelor /bachelorette

parties.

Golfing is a big draw, even in summer.

Spring Training is huge

We also have several major car shows that happen annually.

I don't get it myself, because I live here because I have to. I have no idea why people want to vacation here, those are the events that maybe draw at least some of the crowds.

I don't know what to do. I'm too young to retire, and I really don't want to move until then.

[dflprincess]

69. Interesting

I stayed in an Air B&B in San Diego last fall. Three bedroom 3-1/2 bath condo (1st time stayed in one). Worked out great for the 3 of us traveling together

We were in a condo builiding that clearly had permanent residents and the contract we signed had some very clear rules about loud parties, smoking in the unit, or the "hallways" (access to the building was controlled, but the hallways on the upper floors were open to the outside so someone might have thought it was ok to smoke there). In other words, it was made clear that we were to behave in a way that was considerate to those around us & complaints could have resulted on our being tossed out with no refund.....Not that they had much to worry about from three women of our age.

The condo we rented was managed by a company (don't know if it was also the owner or not), if you can, find out who these slobs are renting from & go to the owner or management company with complaints (call your city council person too). Probably some video or still shots would help. If there are any other neighbors left in your position, get them to join with you.

Being on vacation doesn't excuse crappy behavior.

[FoxNewsSucks]

70. Sounds like the neighborhood you loved is no more

I'd also recommend cashing in and moving.

[GoCubsGo]

72. My sister, who lives nearby, has the same complaints.

She's actually in Phoenix, but has a Scottsdale mailing address. Her neighborhood went up in the late 1980s, and basically middle class. There are at least 2 or 3 Air B&Bs immediately surrounding her, including next door, apparently. She's constantly complaining about the noise. And, swearing her head off at Ducey and the state legislature for causing this shit.

[yaesu]

74. When I bought my house back in 1980 it was just outside of town, quiet neighbors.

fast forward a few decades there are no neighbors, just businesses. I am a residence surrounded by 9-5 businesses. I don't have Air BB problems but my taxes have gone through the roof because its considered commercial property so I will be selling my little fruit orchard oasis soon, will miss it but times they are a changing.

[Devilsun]

77. Your neighbor in north Tempe

Hi Coventina,

I live in north Tempe near the border of Scottsdale. I haven't noticed any of this in my neighborhood (Scottsdale rd and Mckellips). Anyway, it's nice to know that I have a DUer for a neighbor 🙂

Devilsun

[Coventina]

90. Hi there! That's a lovely area you're in.

I'm just a few miles north and east of you.

[Diablo del sol]

95. I am guessing Tempe has some decent restrictions

When I look for houses for ASU games the choices are Chandler, Scottsdale, or Downtown Phx.

Use to get some hits on Condo's off of Mill.

For the original poster, have you thought about some of the houses west of campus above Tempe High? I really like those neighborhoods, some cool 50's homes with decent lots.

[msdogi]

79. huge problem here

Sonoma wine county, we used to have a lovely, peaceful rural neighborhood. Then a home was turned into a mini hotel, with no on site management. Next door to that another is in permit process.
The county is now in process of revamping regulations. There was a moratorium after our first big fire, but that has expired. The county is encouraging community input, and they're getting a lot of it, 90 percent opposed to these short term rentals.
The parade of transients in what was a home is awful. We are hoping the County follows the lead of a community in Lake Tahoe, and several elsewhere, in banning these things outright.

[Coventina]

91. Good luck! We've had no luck getting any kind of control over these "hotels" in homes.

I hope your experience will be better!

[MontanaMama]

81. Boy howdy I hear you.

Our little Montana city has over 1000 active short term rental properties at the moment. Home prices are through the roof and even though I could sell my 3 bedroom 2 bath home for around $800K, I couldn’t afford to buy anything comparable in the area. The average home price here is $600K and I wouldn’t want to live in anything under that price because it would be a dump. Anybody on this bread recommending selling your house and moving is clearly not faced with the problem. I’m sorry this is happening in your neighborhood and I’m completely sympathetic.

[Coventina]

92. That's exactly my problem. If I sell, I can't afford to live where I'd want to live.

It is not an easy decision to make when you are happy with everything but the "neighbors".

[Diablo del sol]

93. push your city council to put some rules in place.

I use AirBnB a bit. Many cities have restrictions.

Tried to get a house in Pasadena last year for a UCLA/ASU game, nothing. Obviously Pasadena shut AirBnB out completely. (Makes sense to stop partiers on NYE for RB parade.)

Am looking for a house in Boulder for a big group. Another ASU game. Boulder has rules that only three people in the house can NOT be related to the person signing up. As four families are trying to attend, we have an issue. Enforcement? The guy renting claims they are fairly strict so we are looking for cabins on huge plots outside of Boulder to pull this off.

If we can't pull it off, we may be in Scottsdale in October! Any good leads? Seriously, we have rented some AirBnB in downtown Phx. Usually get some restrictions on parties/parking. If your new neighbors don't care, go the City Council route.

[Straw Man]

96. I live near Woodstock, NY.

They are having similar issues. The town council just put a moratorium on new short-term rentals. Currently there are 285 short-term rentals (Air B&B, etc.) in a town of fewer than 3,000 people. Needless to say, there are issues.

One solution is to require short-term rentals to have owners living on the premises. Obviously this is going to keep some people out of the game, as you'd need multiple residential units on the same property, but it would limit some of the most obvious abuses and keep the absentee profiteers out.

[JI7]

97. No, this could be contributing to the high cost of buying a home . It's not just places like NYC and

LA anymore .

There needs to be some laws to control this and try to make sure that most of the homes being sold are to people who are actually going to live there.

[Chuuku Davis]

98. Mack's ear plugs

Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs

Mrs.CD snores like a tornado

[Tree Lady]

99. I would hate that

I like airbnb and stay in one at least once a year for a getaway.

But I treat it like its my house, there is just us and our dog and we walk around neighborhoods but peacefully.

This summer staying at a cabin on a Island in Canada. Last summer on the Oregon coast.

I hope the party people don't ruin a good thing for those of us that don't abuse the program.

Last place we stayed stated very clearly in rules no guests allowed if neighbors report party you will be asked to leave immediately with no money back.

[renate]

102. Could you rent out your current home as an AirBnB and use the proceeds to pay another mortgage?

My parents' house is right next to what is now an AirBnB rental that has a hot tub outside, so I totally get your frustration.

But if you could take advantage of the situation by renting out your home too, that would be a pretty sweet way of getting a second home at no additional cost to you. Having to go to the extra bother of moving isn't fair, unfortunately, and I'm sorry about that.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

103. We live outside of a tourist town. Short term rentals are everywhere.

Service industry workers cannot find affordable housing anywhere.

Almost every business has help wanted signs posted outside. No matter how much they pay, it cannot be enough to compensate for the unfathomable cost of housing for service industry workers. Some food service establishments have gone out of business because they can't find help. Others close one or two days a week because of a shortage of help. Hotel workers are pushed to the limit because the hotel is chronically short staffed.

There are multitudes of signs posted by homeowners in residential neighborhoods, requesting that short term renters be respectful of their neighborhoods. The traffic in this massively rural area can be stifling at times. Fortunately, we live outside of town, where we can escape the traffic on the road south out of town to do our business in a larger not so "touristy" town 20 miles away. But even that town is being overrun with short term rentals and tourists.

Short term rentals run between $180 and $500 a night. Where do all these rich people come from, who can afford to pay that kind of money? Even the swanky hotels like Hilton (average $350 per night) are almost always between 80% and 100% full.

We've been here for over 20 yrs, our property value has skyrocketed, but we don't want to sell, because it's beautiful here, and where do we go? We don't know of any better, more suitable place to live in the US. And the same thing is happening to all the nicest places in the country. Fortunately, we are surrounded by National Forest, where no more homes can be built.

At least for now. How long will it be before greedy Republican developers buy greedy Republican politicians, and steal our our public lands, and sell them to the wealthy?

[gypsy11]

108. The house next door to me is one

It’s horrible. I deal with constant light pollution, and dogs. It’s like a dog park next door, which upsets my dog. People are always pulling into my driveway, mistaking my house for the Airbnb. The owners have 3 houses in my city that they run as full time hotels. They barely keep up the yard. Garbage piles up. Which brings rats.

Like you, I live in a working class neighborhood and like you, many of the smallest houses have been torn down and replaced with large ones. They’re not all airbnbs… yet. I want to move, but this house was my grandmothers house, we were very close, so it’s been difficult for me to actually sell it and move. So far I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it. I HATE the constant turnover of strangers literally 10 feet from my bedroom window. The house averages 3 groups a week and this is constant. It is never empty. Ever. I’m in Connecticut- costal town near NYC.

I’ve appealed to my city officials about it. I’ve written letters to everyone I can think of, repeatedly, for a year now, from the mayor to my state senators. But they basically told me to pound sand on the subject. They made it clear they are welcoming this here and won’t enact any type of regulations regarding them.

[Coventina]

111. Oh, what a terrible dilemma!

Feeling the way I do about my grandmother, I would probably hang on to her house as well.

My grandmother had to sell her house to pay for assisted living, so that decision is out of my hands.

However, this house I'm in now, I wanted to die in.

It's perfect for me. It's tiny, low maintenance, and I've put 5 years of sweat equity into making it my own.

The stubborn side of me says, "YOU CAN'T DRIVE ME OUT OF MY HOME"

It might not be the smart decision, but "home" is often an intangible, emotional bond.

[gypsy11]

112. I know exactly how you feel

I have all the same emotions related to it. Mostly the people who stay next door to me are respectful but it’s a constant turnover of people. Groups of people. If there was parties all the time like what you describe you are dealing with- I’d lose my mind.

There have been parties, people even jumped my fence and came into my yard a few times, so I started reporting the listing to Airbnb. The owners stopped allowing that, I think because I complained to Airbnb enough times, but they still don’t care about the house or the people around it. I still deal with annoyances that I wouldn’t if it was an actual residence like it’s supposed to be. For example; all the people that stay there seem to turn on every single light inside and outside the house and leave it like that for their entire stay. I had to buy blackout curtains for my bedroom window. With a real long term neighbor you could just mention it to them, you know- ‘hey your garage light shines directly into my bedroom window’ garbage is stored in the garage and will often pile up outside, for months, before it’s taken to the dump, so rats. And the yard is full of overgrown weeds. They mow maybe 4-5 times a year.

Connecticut collects a 15% hospitality tax on short term rentals, so they’re not keen to regulate it any further at a state level. The city I’m in is all about the tourist money and I suspect some of the members of my zoning board have a few STRs they’re benefiting from themselves because they made it clear they weren’t going to enact anything to curb them. Some towns in Connecticut do regulate them. I know Arizona made it impossible for cities and towns to do that so you’re dealing with a free-for-all with it. I really and truly feel for you.

[Hugin]

113. First let me say I am sorry this has occurred.

Have you considered auxiliary plan k, where you mothball the house and open a party store? Selling all manner of airBnB fears including spray paint, silly string, noisemakers, and if possible alcohol.

Save the proceeds from your new and very convenient venture. Buy up the wreckage of your former neighborhood for pennies on the dollar. Reopen your ranch house.

Live on an estate.

I figure it will take approximately a year.