This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
Ok so I am freaking out. Out of the blue, the owner of the vacant lot next door started clearing the lot and will soon be starting full construction on a new house. What the heck should I do in terms of guests? I’d say the level of disturbance to them during the day might be something like a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. There are no windows facing that side so the noise won’t filter in a lot. But it will still be noticeable I’m sure.
I can’t imagine I should mention the construction in my listing should I? Who would book if they heard that? But if they do book and don’t know about it and show up and are bothered, my ratings will crater, right? Do I need to mention it when someone makes their first inquiry? Should I take the place off the market to avoid awful reviews? I talked to the lot owner and he said construction may take 7 months or more!
I’ve rented my place while construction was ongoing. The key is to manage expectations and maybe block days from time to time that seem like they will be especially noisy. Don’t be afraid to ask the foreman at the site what the plans are. Like they may start, then they have to wait a few days for an inspection and no work is done. Weather may affect stages of the work. i don’t know what kind of rental you have but many people are up and about by the time the noise starts.
I reduced my price and fully disclosed it. Lots of people would be willing to exchange a discount for some noise. Meanwhile you continue with a reduced income and building reviews. I would not totally shut down.
Might I add, this is another example of things we can’t control. So people freak out when they are dependent on this income.
That’s some good advice. In general I would say the space is pretty insulated from a good amount of the disturbance because of the lack of windows on that side. Also I’m on a hill, with the top floor at ground level and the bottom floor is two floors down the hill. I would say most of the work is going to happen more up at street level. But I can’t delude myself, there is definitely going to be some disturbance. For example, this eliminated several spots of on street parking.
As for adjusting based on what kind construction is scheduled, I usually get bookings at least a week or two in advance so I’d have to improvise when the guests actually show up. When did you disclose the situation and tell guests about the discount? In your listing or when the guest first contacts you?
Luckily in my case I’m not too dependent on the income. But it’s definitely addictive. It helps covers a good portion of the mortgage.
I put it right up front, not in the title but in the basics paragraph.
Once a mom daughter pair booked and then unexpectedly the next morning a worker showed up at 7 am to float and texture a ceiling in the bedroom next to theirs. He not only spoke loudly but he also had his music on. When they got up at 9 am i apologized profusely and said “I’m going to give you half your money back” and laid a twenty on the counter. They were so grateful, confessing that money was tight and that was a real help to them. I’m not kidding, I thought I was going to cry they were so over the top with their thanks. They gave a 5 star review of course because they paid less than $25 for a new, private, ensuite room. (in reflection I should have done the rebate via ABB so if they did complain I’d have proof that I’d offered a partial refund.)
I think you are better off to rent the room and then offer compensation in worse case scenarios than to forego a years income…because I guarantee the construction will take longer than whatever the contractor told the lot owner. Turn off instant book and tell prospective guests what the deal is in advance. Or put that you are only taking people who don’t sleep after 8 am or something.
Also: I’ve warned people about noise and they say “oh I can sleep through anything.” Those people will be thrilled for the discount and happy guests
The only semi-bad review I got was from a guest who was unhappy that they were putting in an irrigation system for the grass at my townhome complex – which I didn’t even know about until she wrote the review (no notice from the HOA as to when they were going to do this project). However, when the HOA told us that the next building over was getting a new roof and wanted everyone to park in the front parking lot, I notified my guests and asked if they would like a full refund. They said no and wanted to stay, saying they would be out most of the day. I got a great review. I wouldn’t put it in the description but I would be upfront when a potential guest makes an inquiry.
I think you are ok. I’ve stayed in places where construction is going on, or lawn maintenance… - and what can you do? I stayed in one place WAAAAAY out in the country - next to a saw mill - ha ha sawing yes, but also bulldozers all day - beep beep beep…vroooooom vroooooom VROOOOOOM!
Just disclose it. If you are advertising complete serenity, stop. ; ) No one should promise that anyway.
The people across the street are building a house from the ground up. At first, I got stressed out and thought that we would need to offer discounts, etc. We haven’t offered discounts and have not had any poor reviews. When guests arrive; I show them the earplugs and tell them that a house is being built across the street so if they plan to sleep in they should use the earplugs. In Los Angeles by law allowable construction hours are Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Saturdays and National Holidays between 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
For about 11 terrible months I had the worst thing in the world right next door. A wolf whistling parrot that we recorded at 89 decibels. Honestly, I thought I would get bad reviews or complaints and guests didn’t say a thing! I thought about putting it in my listing as a warning. But then just mentioned it in the greeting, oh you might hear a parrot. The answer almost always was, “oh that doesn’t bother us, it’s the typical sound of the tropics.” Even though wolf whistling is hardly that and it’s like teaching your bird the F word. It would wolf whistle me as I walked by on my lanai or if I was talking to guests!!!. I felt like I was in a bar. I tried to make a joke out of it but it drove me literally effing crazy. I should post the sound I recorded for you all to hear. You won’t even believe the annoying racket.
No amount of complaining did anything. I finally complained to the HOA who only has noise restrictions against barking dogs… That did nothing. These were renters and the owner of the house was off island. The happiest day ever was when I heard them packing up to move. I wanted to do cartwheels down the street.
As someone said, you may not have noise from construction every single day although there will be dust. Mention it to the guests when they check in. You are not responsible for what your neighbors do.
I’ve heard my neighbors (the former parrot house) discussing expanding their house because it’s basically a small cracker box. Then I heard them say they they didn’t have the money this year, thank god.
Right now I’m dealing with another house, directly below me, which also impacts my guests. It’s a young family. The father, a local guy, has several kids by different women. The gf just had a baby so there’s a lot of newborn noise. Luckily she keeps it at the other end of the house. I’m not bothered by kid noise because God knows I myself was the queen of kid noise a few short years ago. It’s their loud heavy pidgin (every other word is Fn) and their swearing at the kids. Using F words. Their barking dog. Their arguments in the driveway which blasts into my guest suite. I complained to the owner of the house, who was my former friend for 12 years and now she cut me off, saying I was lying and these kids were nice and never swore. BS? Your tenants are always nice to your face but when you drive away the mice play.
Now the house is in foreclosure and good riddance. I’m not a fan of foreclosure but I can’t wait for these ghetto tenants to get locked out. The only thing missing is old cars, trash and chained up pit bulls so I suppose it could be worse. Usually they are quiet as they go to bed early and leave for work early.
And by the way, that was the only complaint I ever got from guests over neighbor noise. The stupid punk’s profanity.
Here it is for your listening enjoyment. It would do this if anyone at my house was talking. The first part was recorded on a Sunday morning at 8:30 am from inside MY house. The second is me and my boys in the garden. We are all so frustrated, which you can hear on the tape! I sent this recording to the HOA along with my formal written complaint. It was just intolerable.
There was one time where the school secretary called me to book me for all the dates for that school year. As she read off the dates and I would answer, the goddam bird would wolf whistle. I had to apologize and tell the school it was a parrot and not a person.
Maddening!!!
PS… I did not have to enhance the sound on this recording.,… these are the actual volume levels!
Construction can be totally annoying, and extremely constant. It does matter where you are. If they are digging a basement in granite or bedrock, it is going to incredibly noisy for several weeks. Building the envelope is also loud. The sounds of nail guns as they put on a roof is loud. Once the walls are up, the inside work should not be anywhere near as annoying. The day the pour concrete for a driveway is also a day that you might not want to be home. Expect a lot more dust and debris in your house, especially if you like to have open windows. The sound will penetrate most home’s walls during some of the work.
What type of guests you attract will also matter. Do they hang at the house or are they off during the day doing things?
Don’t know how you put up with 11 mos. of that wolf-whistling parrot (major grrr!)
You must do long-suffering victim pretty well. (ha)
Honestly, about the 2nd/3rd month, I would have made a recording of those piercing whistles, cranked up the volume and blasted it toward the neighbor’s house about 2:00 or 3:00 am every morning…until they got the message.
…or, I would have suggested that solution to someone else…since I just talk big.
It was so ghastly. It would start up at sometimes 630 am… And go on all day. They sometimes put the bird away in a room with the cover on to appease me. But then they would bring it out and let it do this all day. We had a terrible relationship wi them. I tried so many times to talk to them NICELY because I think being nice catches more flies than vinegar but they didn’t care. When they got the notice about the fine being passed to them, they were ready to kill me. Finally someone on the board HOA two streets away was awakened Sunday morning by that POS and went to bat for me at meetings.
Finally the board member advised me they were moving and I thought I would scream with joy. But they wanted revenge on me before they left. In the end I heard them say they were going to leave a flaming bag of dog sh*t on my doorstep because I had dared complain about them. The woman was a piece of work, she was a drill Sargent in the national guard, and one time a worker who came to repair their stairs told me that she sat on a chair with a drink at 10am and “exposed” herself to him. Eww, classy…NOT.
So glad they are gone!!! No matter how bad you junk your neighbors are, there is way way worse out there!!!
