Is there a claim of cause and effect, or is short term rental just an indicator of conditions that may lead to those increases in crime?

I've had neighbors near my rentals want me to sell, because they see rentals...and people who rent a house as "low" end. The no-skin-in-the-game is a renter. I get it. My rentals are kept up, I generally drive by and then set up a time to go pull weeds. I put in landscaping that is "nice". But a lot of rentals...short term or long term....really go down hill.

Some of the towns around me have outlawed STRs completely. Others license a limited number. I think an equally destructive policy is allowing halfway houses in neighborhoods.

@User, I think long-term rentals are a completely different situation because the renters live there. They aren't vacationing there for a weekend or a week.

I think mattias lang has a good point - it's the trite but often true comment, "correlation doesn't mean causation".

I'm not sure where to draw the line or if one should be drawn. In neighborhoods I've lived in, the high water mark of friendly, desirable and helpful neighbors is rarely to be found with those living in a rented home. In most all locations, imposing rules likely requires a public political process - zoning amendments, use restrictions, or something else similarly unlikely to happen

I've lived in a neighborhood with a homeowners association for the past few decades (which I like very much) and it's possible to impose reasonable rules that receive a 50% + 1 vote. For now, the minimum rental term is one year and houses are not supposed to be occupied by people who are not related members of the same family.

Assuming anything were possible (which in a public, political setting is most unlikely), what would be ideal - Is 12 months long enough, is 6 months too short? If a 6 month term is okay, would 3 months be okay too? At my coastal second home, the minimum is 30 days. Because that neighborhood is about 15 years old, a bit more than a quarter of the homes are rented out, mostly 12 month terms. Same experience there as at my primary location - easy and important to have good relationships with fellow owners, renters are more transient and often gone by the time you start to know them.

There's no good answer.

We have a unit at one end of a block of four. The unit at the other end is occasionally let as an AirBnb. Our city council requires that all owners in a block approve short term rentals, which as we often stay in STRs we felt it would be hypocritical to refuse. We are responsible tenants and always get good ratings from our owners.

We haven’t seen much impact from renters in our block; once we found all the lemons including the tiny green ones stripped from our small tree at the front and concluded it was the children staying at the end using them as ammunition (we asked the owner to note in her guidebook that folks were welcome to take a lemon or two for cooking but please don’t strip the tree, and it seems to be working), and another time a father brought his toddler up to play screaming games outside my kitchen window early on a Sunday morning so I looked out the window in my dressing gown and smiled and said, ”Good morning”and they went away 😂.

I must admit I’ve never felt n AirBnb we’ve stayed in either in our own country or overseas was in an unsafe neighbourhood or witnessed anything sketchy.

Chisue, I'm interested in hearing how theses rentals otherwise harm neighborhoods. There are two that I know of on my street. So far, I've never noticed any problem.

Airbnb's response:

https://news.airbnb.com/airbnb-and-the-neighborhoods-our-hosts-and-guests-call-home/

We had one in my neighborhood not long ago (against city regulations BTW); the owner bought it expressly to use as a STR, and not long after he started listing it the neighbors were complaining about noisy parties, trash, people parking in their yard/blocking their drives, people parking in the adjacent park's grass, and other inconsiderate behavior. The owner (a professor at a nearby university) came up with all kinds of red herring arguments for why he should be allowed to continue STRs (like, it was the only way he could keep the property for his 10-yr-old son's future residence LOL) but the city did eventually crack down and now it has a long term tenant.

It's illegal in NYC. I've seen leases with pretty severe penalties -- lose your apartment, a fine of $5000 plus treble damages of what you received in payment. I used to live in a building with no doorman, and tenants had a key to the outside door plus keys to their own apartment. The landlord decided to install a security camera. Within the first few months, they saw about 50 non-tenants enter the building using a key! Especially in a neighborhood where we have to deal with herds of tourists every time we leave our front door, it is important to have a "tourist-free" home.

Perhaps someone skilled at linking can show this WIRED story or find it in the publication 'Public Library of Science'? (Of course Airbnb is upset by the findings. Public awareness of the operation's downside hurts *business*)

Some here are confusing STRs with long-term rentals. However, even there you see the difference in value between areas where most properties are homeowner-occupied and those where more homes are rented out. Any guide to buyers will mention this, for valid reasons.

STRs are SHORT TERM rentals. I believe they only belong in areas zoned "Transient" and that municipalities owe it to residents to enforce that. People who bought homes in "Residential" zoning chose not to live next to a boarding house or hotel. They didn't expect to have their home values decline because another homeowner decides to freelance a commercial enterprise -- while continuing to pay lower taxes as a "Homeowner".

Commercial ventures pay much higher RE taxes. They collect municipal, county and state taxes from their 'guests'. There is a reason for this: They consume more services.

We have considered turning our rental properties into STR, for the primary reason that we can immediately evict a STR if they are causing problems, damage, noise, etc. call the police and they escort them from the property immediately.

Different story with long term tenants. With LTR, you pretty much lose control of your property and they can do almost anything they want. Takes forever to have them evicted, then trying to track them down, serve papers, or get them to pay damages is near to impossible.

Things change, and people don't like change......but that doesn't mean change is bad. I think short term rentals can be a great thing for visitors and - at worst - benign for residents, but "can be" are the operative words. The system, which started with good intent and use, has become abused by renters and owners alike. I think that instead of outlawing it, the system should have limits, and there should be penalties for users and platforms that don't adhere to those limits.

For instance, limiting bookings to multiple days (at least 3, maybe 5 or 7) will pretty much eliminate those who book a STR for a party or concert. Maybe restricting the size of the STR would help in that regard too (no large houses with backyards and pools, etc). Charging a penalty for noise violators without the necessity of calling in the police (in the same way you can charge extra for physical damage). Maybe even a restriction that requires owners to live on or near the premises (i.e. in the same building or a nearby building).

I've had many wonderful experiences in short term rentals around the world, allowing me to stay in places where hotels don't exist, and allowing me to be more comfortable in a small place with cooking and laundry facilities (not just for vacation, but for working trips).

Actually, I think the biggest problem with STR is that they remove rental properties from the "long term rental" market, and that puts the squeeze on the market for people looking to rent their home (both in availability and prices).

I'm fine with STRs where the area is zoned for them. "Residential" does not mean "Transient" for very good reasons.

We recently sold our fully licensed STR, a condo on Maui, after 20 years. Anyone buying in STR-zoned areas there knows that going in. No one buying in residential zoning should have this sprung on them. Let me tell you, you would not want to LIVE with STRs. It was highly annoying for us to use our condo for any length of time, despite the complex being nicely upscale with mostly considerate renters and a minimum 4-night stay. There's still the constant washing in and washing out of transients. Many of them haven't lived in such proximity to neighbors since college. They're used to SFHs, unaccustomed to accommodating close neighbors. They are *loud* -- and they suffer from 'vacation brain'. At least we had security 24/7 to keep some order.

I would be furious if any of my neighbors at home attempted to run an STR business. I did not choose to live in transient zoning. Municipalities should not allow STRs in residential neighborhoods any more than they'd allow bars, fast-food places, boarding houses, or hotels. People running rentals in their homes are also dodging taxes. Businesses pay higher RE taxes and are required to collect business taxes from customers. They are subject to inspections. Businesses require *licenses*. The homeowner running a Vrbo or Airbnb is freeloading on his neighbors, paying only a homeowner RE tax, perhaps one with a Senior freeze as well. (We paid triple the homeowner rate in RE tax on Maui. We collected a healthy swath of taxes on rental income, too.)

Some cities have woken up to this problem. I'd encourage anyone to find out what the laws are in your own 'hometown'. Prevention is easier than trying to get rid of an STR, especially if it has legal muscle from the agency that needs it to profit (Vrbo, Aribnb).

I think there are TOTALLY different issues between STR and straight up rentals. "No skin in the game" points at people who rent homes for living in. They have a reputation of not keeping up the yard/home. They seem to feel no pride of place or responsibility to neighbors as far as the property is concerned. This sort of infiltration in a neighborhood is going in increase as corporations buy up all the "first time home buyers" market. Their goal is to turn these homes into rentals. I don't think you need to be 'zoned' for such a place. STR/AirBNB are as a rule are VACATION get-a-ways. I think the issues come in when they are rented for larger group gatherings i.e. family reunions/wedding activities etc. I think these renters to have skin in the game. The three adult offspring that I have use the AirBnB system almost exclusively when on vacation and their "rating" by the owner means a lot to them. The owner keep up these properties as well as a hotel staff would. I can see why a neighborhood would not want the extra cars or activity that surrounds some of these. 15 years ago my family of origin gathered at a lake place to celebrate my parents 50th. They had five children and 12 grand children. The place slept 10 and we tented and RVd on the property to accommodate the others. The neighbors DID NOT appreciate us. We were not having a drunken brawl, just a typical day at the lake with water skiing., cook outs, volleyball games FAMILY ACTIVITIES. No doubt we interrupted their idyllic quiet lake get away. No doubt this scenario was repeated every weekend ( or worse) or changed over every week. LIFE IS LIKE THAT. I get the neighbors frustration but guess what? You buy the property you live on--not the neighborhood. Things change, time marches on.

No, arcy, people who buy in Residential zoning areas do not expect a parade of strangers coming and going in the neighborhood. STRs belong where STRs are legally zoned.

I doubt you would be so sanguine were your neighbor to open an STR. You probably didn't buy a home within Transient zoning. You didn't choose to invest in what is family's largest single asset (their home) next door to a motel, a sports venue, a fast food franchise, or a bar.

The difficulty has nothing to do with how 'nice' the STR tenants are. Their very presence changes the fabric of a neighborhood...for the worse, as this study demonstrated. Many of these STRs are unlicensed, with the owner leaching off his neighbors' property taxes to provide and maintain the safe and pleasant atmosphere that draws guests to the rental.

As I said earlier, Chisue, we have a STR at the other end of our block of four units. It wasn't an STR for the first three years we owned the unit and we had to give our permission to allow it to become a STR.

There's no "leaching off our property taxes" as the owners pay property tax as well as everyone else so they're just benefiting from what they help pay for too. Aren't all owners charged property taxes where you are?

This study claims to demonstrate that STRs increase violence in neighbourhoods, but I'd love to know who financed it.I wouldn't be surprised to find it was some hotel owners' representative body or similar.

I have not seen any loss of cohesiveness in our neighbourhood nor seen violence in the area of any of the couple of dozen AirBnbs I've stayed in. I don't look at everyone passing to wonder if they "belong" or not, and it would be interesting to know how many Americans could accurately identify who "belonged" in their neighbourhood. Certainly the number of stories that pop up in the news from time to time where someone has called the police to report that there are intruders at a neighbouring home and the "intruders" turn out to be the homeowners, would bear out that the idea of friendly neighbourhoods where everyone knows everyone else are not terribly common.

I've even been known to smile and say "hello" to strangers passing my home. I don't care if they're a homeowner or not. Personally I'd rather the house across the street was a STR with the chance of having some halfway decent, quiet people staying there instead of the permanent residents who spend half the night and all of the weekend sitting out on their front porch drinking and having conversations loud enough to be heard from my house, heavily peppered with expletives.

I'm sorry you don't like STRs, but a lot of people do.

Of course Airbnb is upset by the findings.

I think that Airbnb was not so much upset by the study, in their response (that is linked in an above thread), as they were pointing out that this was not a properly done study, and they have every right to call out the researchers if that is true.

I agree that possible downside between str and long term are rather different.

A str property will likely be well cared for because of the competitive nature of air b&b type grading system. str guests are frequently vacationing so their fun times may spill into the neighborhood via extra cars or noise.

long term renters may not maintain property as well as an owner-resident.

my semi rural (5 acre min) neighborhood has many dependencies that are used as str’s. i guess because the property owner is typically nearby, we’ve not seen any ill affects. wouldnt many of us enjoy an airb&b rental in paris or tuscany?

Think of it as having a motel right mext door to you. Strange people and cars in your neighborhood, over flowing garbage cans, loud music and parties. Sounds great until one sets up right next door to you.

Well there is one right next door to me and it has been no problem at all.

Are there really counties or cities that have zoning called "Transient"? I've never heard of that. I don't think it would do any good to lead people to believe that STRs should only be in transient zoning if transient zoning does not even exist. Here are the type zones that exist in my city. There are multiple multiple family types. :-)

• A. Single Family Residential
• B. Two Family Residential
• C. Multi Family Residential
• D. Multi Family Residential
• E. Multi Family Residential
• F. Neighborhood Commercial
• G. Local Commercial
• H. Area Commercial
• I. Central Business
• J. Industrial
• K. Unrestricted
• L. Jefferson National Memorial

("L," Jefferson National Memorial, is kind of odd.That is "The Arch" area.)

Re: Property tax. Yes, everyone pays RE tax, but the RE tax on a *business* is much higher -- and and a STR is a business. As I said earlier, the RE tax on our Maui STR was triple what we would have paid as 'Homeowner'. Business also collect county, state and sometimes local taxes from their customers. We collected almost 15% on the rents we received. Businesses also require licensure, and often require inspection for health and safety to keep those licenses.

Your area may not have something named "Transient", but there will always be a designation for the *commercial* zoning where clinetele is charged to stay: Hotels, motels, boarding houses...and, properly, STRs.

I'm fine with someone running a rental business, but not in Residential zoning.

Another argument against STRs is that they are so much more lucrative than LTRs that areas have shortages of *residences*. One of the reasons they are lucrative is because homeowners are not being required to get licenses and do not pay business taxes. There is always a reason something is *cheap*. If you're fine subsidizing tax cheats, there's nothing I can say to persuade you otherwise. If you're fine living with STRs next door, same thing. It's your life. I don't want to live with them and I don't want the value of my residence devalued by one -- or two, or three! Allow it, and 'they will come'.

chisue - I find it not accurate to label someone with a STR who obtains proper city approval (licensing) and pays proper taxes as set by their local juisdiction a "tax cheat". Most STR's are public knowledge, the government authorities can change the codes to apply to STR's.

Some STR's are used as wedding venues, lots of loud music, cars, drunks. I wouldn't want to live next door to one. We've rented them ourselves and have one in Palm Springs for this Thanksgiving. I have a group of girlfriends, we rent one every couple years for about four nights in Palm Desert. We signed a strict contract limiting occupants, noise, cars.

Someone in our city was renting out their condo in a high end building on Airbnb and at one point a group of young adults rented it to host a party, someone was stabbed and it made the news. The other tenants were interviewed and said that this sort of thing (minus the stabbing) was happening on a consistent basis and that they didn't feel safe in their own hall ways.

When I first heard about the move to regulate Air bnb's, I couldn't understand it as I was only thinking of quiet couples like ourselves and our friends who are all pretty respectful when we rent. This story made me realize how hard it can be for those living next door.

We own a furnished rental home in the age restricted community in which we ourselves live. There is a strict limit on the number of rental properties overall and a minimum lease length of six months, which allows a person or couple to ”test drive” the lifestyle before committing to buy. We turned down five applicants for various (legal) reasons and the property was empty for five months waiting for the right tenant for that neighborhood. As a resident myself i completely agree that STRs poke holes in the social fabric of a neighborhood and that should be considered when municipalities make rules allowing and governing STRs.

adding…..it seems many respondents have not actually read the linked article, which is specificslly NOT about noise, parking, etc.

C Marlin -- I've repeatedly stated that I do not oppose STRs where they are permitted -- licensed and adhering to regulations. You'll note that my DH and I owned a legal STR for 20 years on Maui. I don't think they should be allowed within Residential zoning, but that's up to elected officials and their constituents. I'd raise a ruckus were one to open in my neighborhood.

Kswl 2 -- Thanks for reminding readers to look at what the study found. The STR industry (Vrbo, Aribnb, etc.) tries to make STRs look like some innocent 'hobby' for homeowners, ignoring that they are commercial enterprises that require regulation the same as any other business. Cities and HOAs have been 'late to the party' in recognizing the reality and enacting regulations.

chisue - I did understand your view, my only disagreement was you calling them "tax cheats".

"Re: Property tax. Yes, everyone pays RE tax, but the RE tax on a *business* is much higher -- and and a STR is a business."

This is not the case in California. There's a minuscule valuation exemption called the Homeowner's Exemption that I believe every soul is entitled to for their primary residence. If you own another residence, whether its for personal use or rented in any form, there's no second Homeowner's Exemption but the property taxes are otherwise exactly the same no matter what the use.

Hawaii it a one-off place. With tourism being the main source of economic activity, the state and counties need to tax all aspects of those activities to have money. The otherwise low average income level of local inhabitants doesn't offer enough ability to produce money for governmental ops.

Elmer -- Yes, Hawaii is *different*, and indeed local residents are charged very low RE taxes for that reason, creating the glaring difference between 'business' and 'homeowner' rates. There's a lot of animosity too, as Mainlander ownership drives up costs of buying or renting property.

There's no 'second home' catch, or wasn't for us, owning in two different states. We had homeowner discounts in Illinois and in Hawaii, regardless of which place the Feds considered our official residence. We might have qualified for the more worthwhile Senior discount in Hawaii as well. (IDK how a taxing body in one place would try to identify a 'second home' in another place, other than by asking you or noting that the tax bill goes to a different address -- if it does.)

Many STR condos in Hawaii were never registered as businesses, their owners paying only homeowner rates and never paying tax on rental income. This has changed after many years of abuses, but only as the county began to recognize the loss of funds -- and in response to angry homeowners where STRs cropped up in Residential zoning. I'm sure that the impact on neighborhoods is felt more strongly where people live outdoors so much of the time.

A couple of STRs a few miles from us had several instances of being party houses, at least once with a tragic act of violence. Another is popping up, and if anything happens I'll probably hear the sirens from that community's first responders.

On the other hand, there are also stories of people who travel for work and just want a place that is not a hotel. Or people visiting their college or boarding school student. My city was hoping to host the Olympics, and I'd totally have offered our guest room, but we would still be living here which seems like the original intention of AirBnB.

Crime aside, too many STRs in a neighborhood can affect things. Such visitors are unlikely to engage in park district and library and community center programs, go to the local hardware store or tailor, take music lessons, etc. I don't know what scale of STRs would impact such things, but it's certainly possible.

"We had homeowner discounts in Illinois and in Hawaii, regardless of which place the Feds considered our official residence."

Just a small nit to pick - for US citizens, there is no concept of "residence" or "official residence" in federal tax law. They keep track of your mailing address, they use that to communicate with you but they don't care at all where it is. You can live in Antarctica if you want, you get a few extra months to file your return but you're taxed on all your income from whatever source, at home or from abroad.

States do have laws for residency (for state income tax purposes) and they vary considerably from place to place. It's not unusual for a person with certain living patterns to be considered a resident of two different states at the same time. I know someone right now who is in that situation.

What's a personal or principal residence for property tax purposes, if that matters, will also vary from place to place.

Both links concern the same academic study, one the article in an online "journal" of not particularly high reputation, the other an article mentioning the article. It's academic nonsense, they need to find things to do to show they do research. This is what happens when social sciences try too hard to act like physical sciences.

Here's one of the key pivots of their work, care to explain what it means or how to use it?

We once booked a STR in Naples, FL along Vanderbilt Beach for a week. When in the elevator with our luggage, a woman asked what condo # we had then asked if we were relatives of the owner. I later determined that the people we rented from were violating the city's rule for STR's of leasing for less than a month at a time. And, it was possible that the building we were staying in had a restriction against STR's completely, hence the woman's questions of us. It made us feel shabby, like we were doing something wrong. We never rented there again. I completely understand how STR's can cause destruction and disruption to a neighborhood and want no part of it as either a landlord or a renter.

Bless you, Jewel!

The owner of the condo opposite ours on Maui had guests telling people they were his 'cousins' until push came to shove and he eventually sold.

I commiserated with one of our (legal) guests, who was president of the board of his extremely large condo building in a popular tourist destination location. He was livid because his hands were tied, trying to halt owners who cheated by renting their units on Airbnb. It took years to legally force the miscreants to stop, while all the other owners were furious about the constant transient traffic in the building, using the pools and gym and entering and departing at all hours.

One can commiserate with the frustration of neighbors..but lets be fair. The experience of Jewel is one that should not be repeated. If you have issues i.e. LEGAL STANDING with the owners then get a lawyer if not SHUT UP. It's not ok to ruin an innocent parties vacation with your frustrations. They are just living life and should not be drawn into your issues!! Calling the cops, being RUDE to the renters is not called for. They made a purchase and if are following the expectations of their rental agreement then BACK OFF. Take it up with the owner. Life isn't always fair, you only OWN your property not the neighborhood.

"hey made a purchase and if are following the expectations of their rental agreement then BACK OFF. Take it up with the owner."

Absolutely! I think persistently questioning the guests is very rude.

I agree that guests should not be harassed, but it is also between a rock and a hard place for the other residents who are suspecting that there is STR activity going on. If the resident had said something else to Jewel along the lines of "Enjoy your stay" or "It's not your fault" then I hope that she wouldn't have "felt shabby".

If you are an owner of a condo, though, yes, you do "own the neighborhood" along with every other owner in the complex. As I understand it.

The owners of the cute early 1900s cabin next to our lake home rented it out to a couple 2 summers ago for 6 weeks, had been running it as a STR. They were heavy drinkers and fought a lot. Made for interesting unintentional eavesdropping. They sold it to our new neighbors, who are taking exceptional care of the property now. Our lake is a 2500 acre lake within 90 minutes to level 1 trauma centers and 2 hours from Minneapolis. Homes have recently come on the market and have sold for huge sums. An 1100 sf 2 BR 1 bath home just sold in 1 week for 450,000. Another 900 SF home just sold for 400,000. The first was purchased 4 years ago for 200,000 and the other was actually the house we rented 20 years ago when we were building our house, so was in a family for many years. My neighbor is on the city council and she told me they were being bought to use as VRBOs. Said the city council will be discussing limiting or excluding the use of STRs on future agendas.

We have stayed in many STVRs pre-covid when we were traveling a lot. We love them, love having cooking facilities and laundry and a little more privacy than a hotel. But we are exceptional guests, always leaving the rental as spotless as when we arrived. I shudder to think of the condition my 28 year old niece and her hard partying friends leave their vacation rentals in. I don't want a vacation rental in my neighborhood, but summertime on a lake is transient by it's very nature, people coming and going every weekend.

I wouldn't care if the guests in an STR in my reidential neighborhood were saints...I don't want transients In My Neighborhood. I don't pay high taxes to keep a beaufitul town with parks and a beach for *transients* to enjoy. IMO, it's like putting up with party crashers.

From what some here say, they'd like us to 'just get on with it' if a bordello opened up next door. We shouldn't be cross about it, or ask some John if he's a relative of Madam Zuzu.

Yesterday on NPR they had a show about the town in Colorado that isn't doing tourism marketing citing a housing and workforce shortage. If people are buying vacation homes or ones to turn into ABnB where are the workers supposed to live? I've heard this is also a major problem in Venice.

Makes me wonder if owning vacation homes or ABnB will become a major moral/social issue. Or maybe it'll eventually stabilize with having less attractions in an area due to less workers making it less attractive and not going there. No, I don't have much hope in the latter scenario.

Aziline,

Thats the main complaint with STR, the loss of LTR properties for locals.

Its a catch 22. Many major tourist cities used to complain about the loss of housing for locals, then the pandemic hit. Without tourism, many local jobs disappeared. Many businesses are gone.

It also solves a problem for landlords. Landlord/tenant laws favour tenants, enabling them to defraud landlords and destroy private propety without consequence, causing thousands of dollars in losses for landlords. The law even prohibits you from removing people who dont pay or cause damage. With a short term rental, a landlord keeps all the ptotections in place. A wild party erupts, the police can remove a STR on the spot. You have credit card information, etc. for damages. Its much safer than renting to locals.

So the right balance must be struck. In Toronto, they passed a by-law stating Airbnb’s are only legal if the owner lives on the premises, which was the original idea behind Airbnb. Someone who wants to earn a little bit of money, so they rent out a room in their home, or a basement apartment.

This sotuation allows landlords to keep an eye on partiers as well as throw partiers out.