How to Prevent Guest Issues at Your Airbnb and Keep Your Neighbours Happy

If you have a comprehensive online guest guidebook in place and your property is well organised, you might be surprised to learn that the majority of guests will not contact you during their stay. In our experience, only about 5% of guests reach out—usually to ask questions about how to operate certain facilities or to request a late check-out.

Some hosts feel that calling or texting the guest upon arrival adds a nice personal touch, but this can sometimes make guests feel as though you are overbearing. Guests want to feel at home in your property and appreciate their privacy, so it’s important to strike a balance—making them feel welcome without being intrusive.

An Owner Says…

“We make a point of not disturbing guests during their stay. Guests know that if they need us, we are only a phone call or email away. By providing lots of information up front, we eliminate the need for guests to contact us.”

Providing Support Without Disturbing Guests

One simple yet effective strategy is to make sure your guests have everything they need in advance. A detailed online guest guidebook covering all aspects of the property—from how to use the appliances to local recommendations—will answer many common guest questions before they even arise.

Additionally, under NSW short-term rental regulations, you are required to inform your immediate neighbours that your property is being used as a short-term rental. Sharing your contact details with neighbours allows them to reach out if any issues arise. While most guests will be respectful, especially if you’re vetting them properly, it’s possible that a few may cause disturbances. In these cases, it’s best to handle issues quickly by reminding the guest of the terms they agreed to.

Example of a Neighbour Notification Letter

Here is an example of a letter you can provide to your neighbours:

Dear Neighbour,

We are required to inform you that the property at [Your Property Address] is used as short-term rental accommodation.

The majority of our guests are families looking to get away and enjoy this beautiful part of the world. Tourists provide much-needed income and employment to our communities.

You’ll be pleased to know that we take the peaceful amenity of neighbours very seriously, and we take a number of steps to ensure that our homes do not cause disturbance to neighbours:

• All our properties have a strict no-party policy. You will note that the party option on booking websites is switched off and this policy is clearly written in the rules of each listing.
• We charge a substantial bond or hold credit card details for every booking.
• We have quiet hours from 10pm to 8am Mon-Thu and 11pm to 9am Fri & Sat.
• All our listings specify that we only permit bookings from “mature, responsible individuals that will not cause disturbance to neighbours.”
• All guests must sign a detailed rental agreement specifying our terms and conditions of booking.
• We fine guests if they hold a party, exceed our capacity, or cause excessive noise.
• We have a cap on the number of adults, limiting groups to 8 adults per property if the group is comprised solely of adults (inter-generational family groups excepted).
• We provide specific rules regarding guest capacity, pets, parking, garbage, and other requirements, which are included both in our rental agreement and our electronic guest guidebook.
• We utilise sophisticated noise monitoring systems that immediately alert us so that we can mitigate noise issues. This system is used in all properties that accommodate 8 or more guests.

We would also like to remind you that there is no law against guests having a good time, laughing, chatting, and generally enjoying themselves. We expect the same respect to be shown towards our guests as you would show to a neighbour or long-term tenant.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Handling Guest Issues

Proactively managing issues is key to keeping your neighbours happy and ensuring your property’s long-term success. If you receive complaints from neighbours regarding noise or other disturbances, don’t ignore them. Address the problem immediately to prevent further issues.

It’s important to note that if you receive complaints regarding your property from neighbours, you could face being placed on the NSW exclusion register for 5 years, which prohibits you from offering your property as a short-term rental during that time.

An Owner Says…

“If we receive a noise complaint, we immediately contact the guest by phone. If the guests’ behaviour doesn’t improve after this warning, we send our emergency contact to the property to speak with them in person.”

Managing your Airbnb professionally and resolving issues promptly will help ensure that both guests and neighbours have a positive experience while protecting your ability to operate your property long-term.