That’s right, I just have 1 room available to 1 guest family, so I do not fit the definition of a tourist house. The guests come in 1 car, and my driveway hold 1 car next to mine, so this should have no impact on neighbors. The public street isn’t clogged with cars.
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I think the word you’re looking for is “petty”.
Have you ever had an issue with your neighbors before other than this?
Because you’re not harming anyone and they’re being real a**holes.
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This past summer, when one supposedly complained, but the code officer would not give me any information. I thought this all went away (the old saying “things settle down over time”) but I guess I was wrong. Before that, I never had an issue. And I’ve been doing Airbnb for almost 2 years, and the same neighbors were there then.
My guests were quiet and well-behaved, and never bothered anyone. I never bother anyone either.
It comes out to overly paranoid neighbors not liking the idea of this “stream of strangers” coming into the neighborhood. No harm was ever done so it was none of their business.
If I go by by the letter of the description ‘no impact’ then the very fact your guests are coming to your home is the issue. It’s not about how quiet they are or the fact that they park on your drive.
As such it would be a stretch to call it no impact. Very minimal impact for sure but clearly one (or more) of your neighbours has a problem and is using the definition of R2 zoning to their advantage.
In my opinion you’d need legal advice on whether you are in line with your zoning or not .
I don’t see how its any more of “impact” than having a full-time roommate or if your home were simply a rent house for someone else, possibly less in many cases. I’ve seen lots of long-term rentals that look like trash, yards aren’t taken care of, etc. The other day a neighbor walked down my street when my boyfriend was outside and commented “Wow, this yard has never looked so good” (It used to be a regular long term rent house for years before I got it.)
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It boils down to the personal ‘costs’ of where one lives and the culture (and size of government) one lives in. Whether you use Airbnb, VRBO, ‘Renters Are Us’, or anyone else, the hassles stems from your fellow man. It’s a crowded planet, with varying degrees of human tolerance and accommodation.
For me there’s a difference between a long term resident and different people arriving every few days. I live in a block of flats and these are often the first places to ban Airbnb because of the constant stream of different people coming and going. Lots of boards also feel Airbnb is unsafe … because it is strangers coming in your neighbourhood. Doesn’t bother me, but it does bother a lot of people.
I’m in a single-family detached home, which I own and pay for. I could understand the issues if I were in an HOA or multi-family building, but I am in neither one.
My airbnb “business” could be classified as low or minimal impact. I had one room on my ad (the two rooms and bathroom are treated as 1 room) so I could accommodate one guest family at a time.
I could also understand issues if I had multiple separate guests and their cars parked on the public street, but that’s not the case either.
Our zoning code says we are allowed 5 unrelated people. It says “a roomer, boarder or lodger is not a member of the family”. So they are not, but wouldn’t a group of 5 unrelated people living together still.contribute to monthly expenses?
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Oh ok. I was wondering if you had run into a personal beef with them, other than AirBnB. Boom - just pettiness and folks who can’t think much further than the end of their own noses.
It is minimal impact. My city government doesn’t care of you have a home business unless you’re going to be having large trucks making deliveries, for example. Or CROWDS of customers.
If they’re not even parking on the street and your house is single family detached, and there’s no noise issue, then it’s minimal impact.
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Nope, I rarely had interaction with my neighbors so I do not know why any of them would have a reason for animosity. As I said I never bother anyone, and even before I started Airbnb I rarely had interaction with neighbors.
After more review of Middletown Pa zoning.
- Unless you serve a breakfast you are NOT a Bed and breakfast. Their def is: “The provision of overnight sleeping accommodations and a next-morning meal for transient persons.”
- Home occupation: per zoning def. "
HOME OCCUPATION
A use customarily conducted within a dwelling and carried on by the residents therein, provided that the use is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling for dwelling purposes, the exterior appearance of the structure or premises is constructed and maintained as a residential dwelling and no goods are publicly displayed on the premises other than as signs as provided herein. "
Also per definition: "The home occupation shall be carried on completely within the dwelling, on the ground or first floor.
B.
No more than half [but not to exceed four hundred (400) square feet] of said ground or first floor area shall be devoted to the home occupation.
C.
Home occupations shall be deemed to include barbershops and beauty shops" So if the room you rent is less than 400 ft and is on your first floor your are not an illegal home occupation".
Also, “HOME OCCUPATION
A use customarily conducted within a dwelling and carried on by the residents therein, provided that the use is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling for dwelling purposes, the exterior appearance of the structure or premises is constructed and maintained as a residential dwelling and no goods are publicly displayed on the premises other than as signs as provided herein” So they are talking about goods for sale although they do talk about beauty salons which would be a service.
3. Tourist home you are not in that it says minimum of 3 bedrooms
4. Transient, I do not even see a definition of this
More for you to consider…
Curt
Hang in there and fight back
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The only breakfast I provided was prepared foods such as cereal, yogurt, etc but I did not cook for them.
My house is a standard single-family homes, with no signs or anything obvious that I have a “home occupation”, other than the guests’ cars parked in my driveway. The exterior appearance is still maintained as an ordinary residence.
The guests’ bedroom is upstairs but within my home, and they did not have a separate entrance or anything. So all hosts whose guest rooms are on the 2nd floor of their house are in violation? That could be a lot! There are not too many 1-story homes in my town.
I agree about the tourist house thing, as I just had 1 room.
Ya, so they have nothing on you except if they try the home occupation and that is really not in the true meaning of home occupation. Again they talk about things like beauty salons.
So again refresh us all who are rooting for you, What have been their official remarks. You said “property not zoned for this”. Did they reference anything like transient?
What have they told you and left you with written comments or communication?
Regards, Curt
Be sure you are checking the Middletown twp n Bucks Co., PA, as PA has a few different Middletown Twp.'s
Yes they said “transient housing is only allowed in the commercial district”. But that ordinance came out long after I started Airbnb.i did not get anything in writing, except for the business card with the handwritten"please call me" message.they also said my guests fit the definition of a “roomer, boarder, or lodger” which do not fit the definition of a family. So they are not family, but as i stated earlier, the ordinance says we are allowed up to 5 unrelated people in a single family home.
I read on the internet, though I really don’t know if it’s 100% true, that PA ranked high in being a racist, xenophobic state. Kasage00, is your town mostly, or maybe all white? Your neighborhood all white?
I remember your post about the Chinese family. Do you have many foreign guests?
Maybe the code enforcement officer isn’t tell you the details of the complaints beause maybe these people noticed many foreigners (blacks, asians, etc) and reported it, and the code enforcement does not want to be accused of racism… You may have xenophobic neighbors.
Bucks County is pretty close to all of those things. Beautiful place though… important to the start of our nation.
From Wikipedia re Bucks County: As of the 2010 census, there were 625,249 people. The population density was 1,034.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 86.6% White non-Hispanic, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.1% Asian (2.1% Indian, 1.1% Chinese, 0.7% Korean, 0.5% Filipino, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.1% Japanese, 0.4% other Asian) 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% were of two or more races, and 1.5% were of other races. 4.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
No. And my neighbors aren’t complaining. See the OP.
@Zandra I’m the one in Buck Co., PA.
Hey, I’ve been doing AirBnb for almost 2 years,and I never had complaints until this past summer.
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