Month: January 2020

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Effortless Rental Group News Events Hosting Tips Rules & Regulations

Airbnb Bans House Parties

Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash

A Step in the Right Direction

Since conception in 2008, Airbnb properties have taken on many shapes and sizes, from renting an air mattress on a living room floor to full homes that can sleep large groups. More recently the talk of the town has been ‘party houses’, which have unfortunately been the scene of open-invite parties and gun violence.

In response to these recent events, including deadly shootings in other cities, Airbnb announced at the end of last year that they would be banning party houses including parties in condos and apartments. Airbnb has created a Neighborhood Support site with contact info to report parties or disturbances: https://www.airbnb.com/neighbors. Additionally, Airbnb says it’s opening a dedicated hotline for mayors and city officials. We are eager to see these steps taken in order to protect not only our guests and hosting community, but our city at large.

Categories
Hosting Tips Rules & Regulations

Short-Term Rental Concerns & Complaints – Developing an Effective System

Photo by rawpixel.com from PxHere

Functional Complaints for a Functional System!

Before changes to the current definition of primary residence are put into place, why not focus on creating a system to service concerns and complaints effectively? The current system is broken.

When a neighbor calls 311 to file a complaint, it’s logged but isn’t communicated to the license holder, host or property manager. Imagine a world where a host recieves a text notification and email when a complaint is filed against their property. The host could immediately address the issue and make adjustments to the house rules/quiet hours, etc. If the issue is noise levels, they could install a decibel reader system like NoiseAware or Minut to send a notification when noise levels surpass the set threshold. This technology should be mandatory.

Complaints in 2019 equated to less than .01 percent of total reservations that took place in Denver.

 

The complaint system could be streamlined for the benefit of all parties:

  • Formal Complaint System (with direct notification to host/property manager)
  • 3 strike policy (loss of license for 6 months)
  • Noise Monitoring Device – mandatory
  • Require upgraded, larger trash bins
  • Designated Parking
Categories
Hosting Tips

Lend an E.A.R. – Best Practices Tips for Hosts

The best way to get ahead of a problem is to address it head-on.  At the Good Neighbor Summit, David Pardo introduced the “Lend an EAR” approach to having difficult conversations with our neighbors when using our homes as a short-term rental.

  • E – Engage your neighbors in person or by mail letting them know what you’re doing and build confidence that you will be a responsible host.
  • A – Address common concerns such as trash, noise and parking.  Explain to them you are aware of these potential problems and you’re already prepared so they do not become an issue down the road — ask them to let you know if any concerns arise down the road
  • R – Resolve Issues – Find Solutions is a free resource for Denver citizens if they are unable to resolve concerns on their own, in a safe and productive environment
If you’d like to learn more about this free resource visit: FindSolutions.org