A retired Phoenix couple was slapped with a restraining order after repeatedly complaining about a short-term rental house next door that hosts wild parties that make them feel like they’re being “held hostage” inside their home.
Linda Bliss and Mark Honold’s hopes for a peaceful retirement were dashed as the rental property directly behind their home has stood as the root of their misery for the past year, the couple told Arizona’s Family Friday.
The property’s steady stream of loud noise, late-night wild parties, and a constant flow of strangers coming and going have left them on edge — unable to relax inside their own home, they said.
“We’re held hostage inside our house,” Honold told the local outlet.
“It’s just so loud, you can hear everything.”
The senior couple have called the Phoenix Police Department at least five times and even spoke to the property manager about the issue, which they say only made matters worse.
Their complaints, which include an incident where they yelled at some of their neighbor’s guests to not be so loud, led to the property manager serving them with a restraining order.
“It was very demanding because I’m licensed by the state of Arizona for insurance, working with children, the elderly, and they came and treated me like a criminal,” Bliss said.
When contacted by the outlet, the property manager said all guests are screened before they move in and that loud parties were not permitted at the property.
The property manager also claimed the elderly couple were the only ones who had complained about noisy tenants.
Phoenix-based attorney Jonathan Dessaules said homeowners in similar situations should “document everything.”
“If you are going to go to court, either as a victim or witness or as party seeking injunction, you want to be able to put all the evidence in front of a judge and not just say, ‘Judge, take my word for it. This house is crazy,’” Dessaules said.
Bliss and Honold said that homeowners will only continue to suffer until cities like Phoenix adopt stricter rules for short-term rental properties.
“It’s very disruptive,” Bliss added. “It’s totally changed our lives.”