Noise Monitoring Devices for Vacation Rentals

One of the biggest risks for an owner of a vacation rental and Airbnb is that you rent to someone who throws a big, loud party. Not only could wreck your house, but the police may get called and your relationship with neighbors could be ruined. If your operate in an area where you need a short term rental permit to operate, you could lose your license and ability to operate.

Of our three properties, two are little cottages that cater to mostly couples. Not much of a risk of a noise complaint there. However, our home in Sonoma is a three bedroom place with a pool that could be tempt individuals to throw a party. As a result, I’ve started researching noise monitoring devices.

Noise monitoring devices let you know if guests are making a lot of noise, which could be the sign of a party or something that’s going to disrupt the neighbors. It’s also less intrusive for guests than video cameras monitoring the property. I once stayed at an Airbnb with outdoor video cameras and I didn’t like the feeling of potentially being watched the whole time.

From my research, the most popular noise monitoring device is from a company call NoiseAware. For $299 you get indoor and outdoor noise monitoring device and two years of monitoring service. I’d say the second most common thing I’ve encountered is people using Amazon Ring doorbells to make sure a big party isn’t happening. Another noise monitoring service I’ve heard recommended is is Minut, which is a $129 per sensor and has free plans for monitoring the devices for $7.99/month plans for advance features. Other companies I have heard about in this space are Netatmo, Aeotec, iHome.

The key feature I’m looking for is an outdoor sensor that doesn’t require changing the battery very often (or ideally one you can plug in to an outdoor outlet. NoiseAware has an outdoor sensor but apparently you have to change the battery on it every couple of weeks which is a nonstarter for us. I’ll update that post as I learn more in my research.