What happens to Neighbor earnings when the owner dies

Rental income Neighbor owes the host for a completed or in-progress rental period is a debt the estate may seek to recover. Neighbor does not document a specific procedure for this, so the estate contacts Customer Support, provides proof of death and proof of authority over the estate, and follows Neighbor's case-by-case review. Because renters are charged at the start of each 30-day rental period and the host payout is released at the end of that period, money may be owed but not yet paid out when a host dies.

Neighbor pays hosts through Stripe to a connected bank account, and payouts are typically visible there within about two to three business days of a rental period's payout being released. Funds already deposited are no longer held by Neighbor — the estate locates them in that bank account. Contact Neighbor only about any payout still owed for an in-progress rental period.

Neighbor does not document a way to transfer a host account or name a beneficiary, and the Terms of Service do not address inheritance. A family member who wants to keep renting out the same space should confirm options directly with Neighbor Customer Support, since there is no published self-service transfer path. In the meantime, listings can be deactivated to stop new bookings.

Active reservations carry obligations. A host is required to give 30 days' notice before ending a reservation, and ending one sooner can incur a $60 fee charged to the host's account, with the renter refunded. The estate should contact Neighbor Customer Support to understand how to wind down or continue reservations given the host's death, and to address the renter's stored items in the space.

Neighbor does not publish a required-document list for deceased-host requests. Estate claims of this kind typically require a certified death certificate, documentation showing authority to act for the estate (such as Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration), the email address on the account, and photo identification for the requester. Because there is no published procedure, confirm the exact documents directly with Neighbor Customer Support.

The clock runs against the estate, so act early. The card on file is charged automatically at the start of each monthly rental period and the reservation renews until it is ended; a failed payment is retried every 48 hours and a late fee applies after ten days. Under section 16.1 of the Terms of Service, Neighbor may deny access to the space, terminate the booking on three days' notice to vacate, and enforce a contractual lien by seizure and disposal — including an online storage auction, and sale or towing of a stored vehicle — once applicable fees have gone unpaid for 60 consecutive days. The estate should contact Neighbor Customer Support in writing, with proof of death and of authority to act, and ask for the address of the space, a route to the host, arrangements to collect the belongings, and an end to the recurring charge. Do not sign in to the decedent's account: the in-app controls all sit behind their login, which is why the request goes to support.

Not straight away. Under section 9.12 of the Terms of Service, a renter's stored items are deemed abandoned only after the booking has been cancelled or terminated, and Neighbor's own auction guidance instructs a host not to touch or move the renter's belongings. Section 9.11 requires a host to give the renter at least 30 days' notice before terminating a booking; terminating with less notice entitles the renter to a full refund of the most recent monthly period, forfeits that month's host payout, and can carry a $60 termination fee. The estate should contact Neighbor Customer Support, explain that the host has died, and ask Neighbor to serve the 30-day notice, coordinate the move-out, and end the booking on the platform. Section 16.4 also requires a host to cooperate with Neighbor on any eviction, sale, auction, or removal and to provide access and requested information, and states that failing to do so voids the Payout Guarantee.

Neighbor publishes a procedure. Its Trust and Safety team contacts the host once a renter has missed a payment for more than 30 days, and then helps facilitate an online auction of the stored items. The published expectations of the host are to send 4-6 photos of the renter's stored items within 5 days of the request, to restrict the renter's access to the space unless Neighbor confirms the renter has paid, and not to touch or move the belongings; the auction runs online, and the final host payout follows once the items have been removed. Neighbor also notes that obstructing the auction process can delay or forfeit host payouts. Separately, section 9.9 of the Terms provides a Payout Guarantee of up to two months of Space Fees, net of processing fees, for a confirmed booking whose monthly Space Fee is $500 or less. The estate should tell Neighbor early that the host has died so the cooperation those steps assume can be arranged.

Deactivation, yes, as a request. Neighbor documents that an account is deactivated by contacting Customer Support and asking that it be deactivated — the one documented control that does not require signing in. Deletion is different: it is done from inside the decedent's own profile, and Neighbor warns that deleting an account is permanent and will delete all history of the account. For an estate the better request is deactivation plus a hold on deletion, so the reservation, message, and payout history survives long enough for the estate to read it. Nobody should use the decedent's credentials to do this.