DEAR HELOISE: I live in a very nice area of Florida, in a lovely well-maintained community of residential homes. Lately, we've noticed a number of the homes here have been sold to people who own the property but don't live there. Instead, they rent out these homes to tourists who stay from around two weeks to one month.
The problem is that these Airbnb renters do not take care of the house or lawn, and they have been known to even damage the property. They throw parties, and people get rowdy and loud well past midnight. One of my neighbors called the police when he came home from work and found that one of the renters parked their car on his front lawn. The neighbor across the street was awakened at 6 a.m. when he heard children's voices in his backyard. He found four children and a dog in his swimming pool. They told him they were here for two weeks and intended to use his pool because the house they were renting didn't have a pool. He called the police.
How can we begin to get these rental houses closed down? The rental houses are dragging down property values, causing problems with trash and parking, and leaving the house poorly maintained. Everyone I talk to wants this stopped.
-- Delores H.,
Florida homeowner
DEAR READER: First, start with the homeowners' association if you have one. Give them a petition with signatures from homeowners who are fed up. Most homeowners' associations do not allow a business to be run out of a house, and that is exactly what these absentee landlords are doing. If you do not have a homeowners' association, or if they don't do anything about this problem, call your local city councilman and explain the situation to them. Be sure to also send a letter to your mayor.
For each annoyance, you need to report it to the police and ask them to come out and speak to the renters. You'll need to keep a paper trail of this as well.
It might require an amendment to the laws of your city or state, but if that is what it takes, then go for it. If worse comes to worse, you may have to seek legal council. You might have an attorney among your neighbors who can help you with this and better advise you on what to do.
DEAR READERS: Did you decide to lose weight after the holidays? Here are some hints that might help you:
• Use a salad plate at mealtimes instead of a dinner plate.
• Keep your salad dressing on the side. Dip your fork in it, then into your salad.
• For every five pounds you lose, reward yourself -- but not with food or drink.
• Select a diet and workout regimen that works for you. Never mind fad diets.
• If you sabotage your diet, you're the only one who will suffer the consequences. Don't let others convince you to cheat.
DEAR READERS: Animals depend on us for protection. If you see an animal who is not being taken care of or is left out in the cold, please report this to the police.
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email