PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Michael Gordfarb and his son Skylar would love to play catch in front of their home more often, but it’s just not possible with all the cars and people coming and going from the house next door.
“We didn’t all buy homes in this neighborhood to be next to a motel, and that’s really what it is,” said Goldfarb.
The short-term rental is located near Bell Road and Tatum Boulevard in North Phoenix. It used to be a nursing care facility, but was converted to an Airbnb last year, with the owner offering 10 rooms for rent, for $30 to $50 per night.
Goldfarb said it’s been a nightmare, with strange people wandering up and down the block, looking through trash cans, even walking into his home accidentally.
“It is a very big difference when it’s different people every night,” said Goldfarb. “When people use house for a longer period of time they seem to take better care of the home.”
Ellie Paget is the owner of homeslicestays.com and manages more than two dozen rental properties around the Valley.
Paget says renting out individual rooms is not very common, but it is perfectly legal. There is nothing in Arizona law or the City Of Phoenix ordinance that prohibits a homeowner from running their rental like a hotel.
“It’s their own private residence and they can use it how they choose,” said Paget. “It’s the same way as having a neighbor deciding to decorate the front lawn in a certain way. I personally find it to be a huge risk.”
Paget said that HOA’s can place additional restrictions on short-term rentals, but since this house is not in an HOA, there’s not much Goldfarb and his neighbors can do.
They have set up cones to keep people from parking in front of their homes and put up signs to scare guests away.
“We’ve reached out to Congressmen,” Goldfarb said. “We have tried anybody that will listen and there’s just nothing to stop them. It’s beyond frustrating.
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