So my husband and I are trying to figure out how to navigate this situation and if there are any options or we just have to "deal with it"

A year ago our neighbors turned the house next door into a STR. At the time, no big deal to us. As the year as progress we have had issues with Air BNB renters and late noise violations, drug use, trash issues, using our driveway as a turn around point or entrance into the their driveway bc of a power pole they have in the corner of their driveway and most recently using our driveway as parking.

An unusual thing about this rental is we have noticed they have de-listed and re-listed the Air BNB a few times, usually after a bad review. Most recently they have de-listed it from Air BNB and posted it on VRBO, unsure why. This house is listed as a trendy Instagram spot, which is sandwiched between our house (with a baby and one on the way) and a church pastors house. As well as flanked by houses with kids up and down the street.

Using our private driveway as parking was enough for us, but we are unsure how to report the space. VRBO just has a protest button for the listing but we assume VRBO is going to tell us to "talk to the owners." We aren't on great terms with the owners since right after they moved out we were forced to handle an animal dumping issue they left us with.

I understand if nothing can be done, but curious if anyone else has had to navigate issues living next to a STR and if reporting it will even help. TIA

What's the city?

Living near a STR sucks.

Is there an STR permit policy there in your City or if you have a HOA? If so, that is a way you can 'go after' them.

Options to consider that i may or may not condone? Im all for private property rights.....until they spill over the fence.

Talk to owner

Read deed restrictions

Read city code violations and report as possible.

Read HOA rules

Offer to buy the property

Rent the house and leave a terrible review.

Rudely awaken at 5am, anyone that has you up at 1am.

Strategically place tacks on your property where they'll destroy the tires of any trespassers.

Get a loud dog that will bark at your neighbors guest any time they peak outside. The reviews will write themselves.

Call the police....every single time you have a legitimate complaint for noise, drugs, etc.

It is interesting to me how polar the str are. We have used them personally multiple times for vacations, family gatherings in places I am amazed have them and for a few high school student special event sleep over type things (monitored by parents.). I lean toward not liking them for having near me or using them, but honestly most have been okay. Definitely would suck to have one next door apparently.

As to your situation. I doubt any entity in power will do ***** Unless your city has banned them.

Probably time to go guerrilla warfare on them to encourage bad reviews until the owner will work with you.

- multiple spotlight/floodlights on that side of you house aimed at windows.

- multiple motion lights aimed at them.

-multiple obvious cameras aimed at them.

- call the cops and complain ANY time you can

- speakers aimed at them with noise and music (as much as you can.) like whenever you are not home

-keep filing complaints

- like the tack idea. Maybe roofing nails in their driveway. Just make sure they aren't videoing.

-raw fish or seafood thrown around the house and back yard. In vents, down plumbing vent pipes

Nothing probably helps. Sorry you are in a ****ty situation.

Have friends/family rent it then go scorched earth via any online influencing platform available.

But have their reviews complain about you.

My MIL and her neighbor are currently in a similar situation with one here in east Austin. My family and I went to visit her and we noticed loud concert music. I assumed it was from SXSW because they are dive bars within a couple miles from her house. I asked her if it was coming from one of those bars and she said it was her neighbor's backyard neighbor from the next street. They had like at least 50 people listening to a death metal rock group. It was loud! You could almost feel the windows rattling from her house. Her neighbor had a decibel meter and she was getting readings of over 100 from inside the house. They went to complain and called the cops, but nothing happened. The AirBNB renters told her to call the cops because they knew nothing would happen. They played on from 7 PM-11 PM. Needless to say, she was irrate.

rent it for a night and place raw chicken or cans of tuna,, etc in the AC's return air vents.It'll take forever to find and they'll never know it was you.

Ducks4brkfast said:

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rent it for a night and place raw chicken or cans of tuna,, etc in the AC's return air vents.It'll take forever to find and they'll never know it was you.

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I like this idea!

Y'all are savage

Your best bet is to convince Tim Dillon to rent it and have a bad time.

In Houston you generally have no recourse of complaining to the City. I operate a STR in Houston on AirBnB Plus and part of being successful is being nice to your neighbors. It sucks that ****ty hosts give the rest of us a bad name. My guess is they are continually re-listing under a different profile because they are getting bad reviews. Switching to VRBO might be because they were booted from AirBnB.

I recommend any time your driveway is blocked you call HPD (713-884-3131) and have the vehicle towed. That goes for anyone blocking your driveway for any reason. It might take a couple of hours, but it sure is an attention-getter. All it will take is one guest being towed and the host will include "do not block the neighbor's driveway" in their instructions.

If the renters are noisy, call HPD and report a noise complaint. Anything that gets the law involved works in your favor if you try to complain to the STR platform. Going to VRBO and saying, "This is a bad host and I have 15 police reports to prove it" is better than complaining with no documentation. STR platforms don't like it when their listing run afoul of local laws.

With any luck the renters will complain about HPD bothering them in their reviews, and no one wants to rent a place near what will undoubtedly be perceived as nosy neighbors.

If none of that works, I am a fan of the tuna idea.

Thank yall for the options and will keep the tuna idea in our back pocket.

This rental took an interesting turn. Over the past 48 hours the house had 2 trailers and 2 cars in the driveway and 3 cars parked in the street.

My husband was curious and asked one of the men going in and out of the house what's going on. The response "oh we are moving some things around"
Now we thought they could be remodeling.....we will later find out we were wrong.

Tonight while standing in my driveway talking to 2 of my other neighbors we see heavy furniture getting moved in (dressers) the trailers full of clothes, shoes, random home items being uploaded. I say hello and introduce myself to one of the guys who has some interesting tattoos that run up his neck well onto his head (that has to hurt), and he informs me that "the other guy without a shirt on, his wife and (adult) son have rented this place for 2 months."

I met the wife....who was wearing pants a size too small and a crop top only a 17 year old should wear,, who informed me that all the random dogs I've been seeing around our houses are theirs (4 in total. There is a no pet policy on the listing). I let her know 2 of the dogs were on my front porch this morning eating the cat food I put out for our outdoor cats. She comments how it's crazy that dogs like cat food so much. I don't think subtlety is her thing.

They are also smokers...and we know there is a no smoking policy.

So we are 2 days into a 60 day rental, and now just watching this unfold. Because we are pretty sure this "Instagram worthy" place is not going to exist in the same state as it is originally photographed. Based on first impressions we are now very curious how these next 58 days will go..... stay tuned

Watchlist for sure

Good Lordy. Sounds like you will have broken down beater cars on blocks in the driveway in two weeks.

My sympathies.

Only thing worse than STRs are people that leave cat food outside

Sounds like future squatters.

"watch topic*

RikkiTikkaTagem said:

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Sounds like future squatters.

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I 100% was expecting that before getting to the 2 month rental part

Putting food out for feral cats.

Furlock Bones said:

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Putting food out for feral cats.

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We put out food for a feral cat and this is her now:


(but the food did attract possums and raccoons before we domesticated her enough to make her an indoor cat)

That explains a lot…..

htxag09 said:

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That explains a lot…..

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You could almost say we GROOMED her to live with us ...