NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Is having an Airbnb in a residential community harmful to the neighborhood? That’s the debate going on in the city of Niagara Falls.

The debate has mobilized some against a fellow homeowner in the La Salle area of the city.

What You Need To Know

  • Signs in a Niagara Falls neighborhood say community members want Airbnbs gone, and say one short-term rental is loud and potentially dangerous

  • An Airbnb owner says neighbors are harassing her guests, not the other way around

  • It is part of a larger push to limit short-term rentals to one section downtown

“I can't believe I have to live here,” said Kathleen DuBois, an Airbnb owner. “I’m a happy person. I didn’t live my whole life to spend my retirement years being angry.”

Humanity, kindness and community are the words written on a sign in DuBois’ yard. They’re qualities DuBois says are in short supply with some of her neighbors.

“This is what my guests had to look at all summer,” she said, gesturing to a sign that read, “Neighborhoods are for neighbors, not short term rentals."

“They want to make sure it's pointing this direction,” DuBois said.

Her property is a short-term rental on Airbnb. She doesn’t live there, but does rent it out to people like tourists. It’s a problem for some in the area, who took their concerns to city council in May.

“My home is not a safe refuge anymore for me,” said Andrea Nossavage, a neighbor who expressed safety concerns.

“I've got Ring doorbells all over the place and I got a pistol permit,” added Gretchen Leffler, another neighbor who detailed the additional security steps she’s taken recently.

“It is the neighbors who bear the brunt of the problems, added fellow neighbor Laura Rotella. “They have to police the property.”

After that meeting, DuBois says, the signs went up.

Spectrum News 1 attempted to ask some of the people who had these signs up why they were posted. Many did not want to comment. The people who did didn’t want to go on camera, but their reasons varied.

Some said they were against Airbnbs in residential areas, period. Some were just against DuBois’ Airbnb, citing loud parties and even one accusation of drug dealing.

“No,” DuBois said when asked if any of the allegations were true.

DuBois says she rents mainly to families, a max of six people to reduce problems. She doesn’t rent to locals anymore, to reduce the potential for big parties. She meets everyone in-person, at the property, and she herself lives around the corner in case anything comes up.

“I have forgone profit over keeping the neighbors happy,” DuBois said.

According to city documents, from September 2019 to June 2021, there were only six police records of issues. Only two of them were short-term renters, for loud parties.

The issues go both ways, DuBois said. She detailed instances in the past when her renters were yelled at, had air horns blown at them, and one where the family was photographed and followed.

“[He] said, ‘what is the problem?’ They said, ‘we're keeping an eye on everybody who comes here.’ Now, who does that,” questioned DuBois.

The short-term rental debate is ongoing in the city of Niagara Falls.
Dubois is one of about 350 Airbnbs here.

A new proposed ordinance would limit STRs to a section downtown, an area some say is way too dangerous for tourists. Those against the zone also argue the city has bigger problems than holding back a competitive market.

“We have housing stock for a lot of people here, but our population is down to 47,000,” said James Abbondanza, the president of the Niagara Falls Tourist Home Association. “There's a lot of houses leftover. A lot of them are falling into blight.”

Abbondanza says STRs have brought back a lot of these rundown homes. He says the opposition comes down to the NIMBY, or “not in my backyard,” mentality.

“A lot of people are worried about strangers or transients coming through but for the most part, you'll find that it's families who are coming through,” Abbondanza said.

The tourists, Abbondanza says, spend $80 per person per day, on average. So do the benefits outweigh any risks?

Abbondanza says problems with Airbnbs are low, and when there are issues, the problem renters don’t stick around. After all, these are short-term rentals.

He does, however, want the city to crack down on illegal listings. Of the 350 on Airbnb, only about 100 have a permit and certificate of occupancy, he says.

As much as some neighbors might say otherwise, DuBois is one of those responsible ones.
“I'm the highest rated Airbnb in Niagara County.”

“I'm legal and I pay every bed tax,“ DuBois said.

But if an ordinance doesn’t force her out, this situation might. What was supposed to be a supplement to retirement, is now more of a nightmare.

“What is the point of being able to continue to operate when you can't when you're sleeping in your car on the road because you're worried what they're doing to your guests,” asked DuBois. “That is pretty scary stuff.”

She won’t rent her Creekside Drive place out anymore. Her son and business partner lives here now. But they did buy a place in the zone downtown that has all necessary permits already, and so come next season, she might make some of that money back.

A vote to continue forward with the new short-term rental ordinance is expected on Dec. 9.