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My nextdoor neighbor has an unkempt yard. There are two broken cars, grass as tall as an adult, and scattered garbage. This is all viewable right out the guest’s window. In 145 reviews, nobody has ever complained. Well, once someone wrote, “there isn’t much of a view.” If anything, guests praise the neighborhood.
I pick up the garbage myself and occasionally ask the neighbor to mow, and he’ll do it promptly. At least when the grass is long it stops my guests from walking through his yard, which would cause him to come out and yell at them if he noticed. I have a fenced yard and he doesn’t, so for whatever reason guests cut through his yard instead of opening my gate.
I’ve looked up the property and seen the other neighbors have filed many complaints and my neighbor has been fined. I believe the unpaid fines just put a lean on the property in my city that must be paid when the owner goes to sell. Or maybe the fines are just paid by my neighbor’s relative, who owns the house. I don’t know. Someday this house will be sold and torn-down and replaced by an over-sized three-story modern home that will tower over my house and vegetable gardens.
You can continue talking to your neighbor, offer to help out, complain, or just let it go. I try not to worry about the things I can’t control.
Over the winter, someone in my neighborhood put a big freakin’ Confederate Flag in their front window as a curtain. In the Berkshires of MA. Right on the route I generally have people drive down. I mean, it’s always a little rustic & rural but I feel like that pushes it into Deliverance territory.
Well, they are everywhere that’s for sure. Thank goodness I don’t see much of that baloney in my hometown. When the distasteful thing is just on the route it shouldn’t be a problem. People do sometimes have concerns about the neighborhood here, that must account for my 4 stars on location from time to time because my location really is ideal for most guests.
Not here in MA they’re not, thank god! It’s still quite a shocking thing to see. And it’s not just en route, it’s a private community of mostly dirt roads, so I feel like my neighbors reflect on my property more than in a regular community. But yeah, there’s not really much I can do. Just hope people will be understanding and find it “quaint” or something.
Maybe they won’t even notice it. I think it’s about as quaint as a Nazi flag. I’d like to live long enough to see both die out but guess that’s not going to happen.
If I were you, I would include some photos of the outside of your property where you can see a little bit the neighbourhood and environment, selecting the ones of course which don’t look too bad but which show the reality of the situation.
That way people can’t claim that the listing was not conform to the description.
People don’t read warnings or listing descriptions (many don’t even look at all the photos but at least you’ll be covered then). But you could put a word in the area where you describe the neighbourhood and/or where you describe amenity limitations if it really is detrimental.
I understand you can’t control the neighbours cleanliness but it does have an impact on the overall experience and value of your property, and it might have an impact on your price and the reviews you get.
Also maybe ask the neighbors for permission to do some clean up and maintenance yourself? Say like “when. mow my lawn I could come over and do your’s too, would you mind?” It all depends how detrimental it is for you. Might be worth it.
@Helsi, I’m so sorry. I did not mean to accuse you of racism at all. It was more about musing on terminology that I find uncomfortable. But I see that is not how it came across and that I should have chosen my words more carefully. I do indeed know how strong and passionate you are about this issue. I hope you will forgive me.
I had to look up what BAME means. I was worried that not knowing the meaning implies I’m a closet racist, but the truth is even worse, it’s because I’m American.
Like Americans who refer to blacks as African Americans when they are overseas and when you correct them they look at you blankly. Ah! Americans, a funny bunch we are.
Yes, I’ve seen English films on TV here in the States which have been described as a story about ‘an African American’ when the story is actually set in Birmingham or somewhere. And then you watch the film and the ‘African American’ has an English regional accent and has never set foot in America…
Not to toot my own horn, but the last phrase of my description says:
"We cherish all our friends in our culturally and racially diverse neighborhood.
You are welcome here."
I also include pictures of local graffiti and a black lives matter protest I went to. I briefly included a burned out car that was around the corner, but since it’s the only one that’s shown up in the seven years we have lived here, I edited it out. I decided I didn’t need to be that real.
I’d rather scare away the racists than reassure them.
