Senior U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra on Tuesday issued a ruling that overturns Austin’s short-term rental ordinance adopted in 2016. The plaintiffs, Robert Anding and his wife, Roberta, filed suit against the city after attempting to register one of their properties as a short-term rental. Because they did not occupy the property as their […]
short term rentals
Properties rented for fewer than 30 days.
Posted inHousing
Majority of Austin’s short-term rentals operating illegally
As the city struggles to enforce short-term rental regulations, a large majority of Austin’s STRs continue to operate illegally, according to a Sept. 6. presentation from the Code Department to the City Council Housing and Planning Committee. There are anywhere between 9,000 and 11,000 STR listings in Austin, depending on the day, according to José Roig, […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Music Commission shows support for STR agreement but delays recommendation to Council
The Music Commission voiced support Monday for the city to enter into an agreement with short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb, but opted to gather more information from staff and held off on making a recommendation to City Council over the matter. The presentation from Luis Briones, Airbnb’s Texas director of public policy and government […]
Posted inHousing
Airbnb makes renewed push to reach STR agreement with City Council
Short-term rental platform Airbnb is pushing City Council to change its long-held stance against working with companies that help STRs to operate and, in the process, take business away from area hotels. A representative from Airbnb spoke to the Arts Commission last week and offered a draft letter of support that several arts organizations and […]
Posted inCourts
State appeals court strikes down Austin rules on short-term rentals
A state appeals court has declared some elements of Austin’s rules governing short-term rentals unconstitutional, including provisions banning non-owner-occupied rentals and occupancy limits. In 2016, the City Council passed sweeping new regulations of short-term rentals, like those you find through Airbnb or Homeaway. The rules included a phased-in ban on what are called “type 2 […]
Posted inAustin
Tourism Commission wants agreement between city, short-term rental companies
The Tourism Commission has asked City Council to change its long-held stance toward short-term rental platforms like Airbnb in favor of an agreement that would earn the city millions of dollars in new Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue each year. At Monday’s meeting, the commission unanimously approved a recommendation to Council to reassess its negotiations with […]
Posted inHousing
City finds almost 7,000 unregistered short-term rentals, with enforcement on the way
A vendor hired by the city to determine the number of short-term rental properties active on platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO told the Austin Monitor there are close to 11,000 operators, with less than a quarter of them licensed to comply with city regulations and deliver Hotel Occupancy Tax money to local coffers. The […]
Posted inAustin
Short-term rental conference examines taxes, nuisances, compliance
Leaders of the national travel and lodging industry and local government officials involved in the evolving short-term rental economy will convene in Austin next month for what is believed to be the first-ever conference devoted to the issue. City regulators, property owners and managers, and representatives from companies involved in short-term rental transactions will all […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Texas lawmakers tried to take the reins from cities this session. The results were mixed.
For the last handful of legislative sessions, the Texas Legislature has had it in for Austin and other cities. GOP lawmakers who regularly thumb their noses at “big government”-minded efforts in D.C. have filed bills targeting city laws regulating everything from plastic bag usage to how residents preserve trees, arguing city laws in Austin create […]
Posted inAustin
Tourism Commission asks Council to pursue hotel tax collection on STRs
The Tourism Commission wants City Council to revisit and possibly make changes to its ordinance covering short-term rentals, with the goal of increasing the amount of Hotel Occupancy Tax coming into city coffers. The commission voted unanimously at this month’s meeting to ask Council to revisit its 2016 ordinance covering local STRs, specifically the mechanisms […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Austin defends its short-term rental rules before Texas lawmakers
Austin’s rules on short-term rental units – advertised on apps and sites like Airbnb and HomeAway – are under fire at the Texas Capitol. House lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would override the city’s ban on properties in residential areas that aren’t owner-occupied. Richardson Republican state Rep. Angie Chen Button said the […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Here are 3 ways state lawmakers could disrupt (or shore up) short-term rentals in Texas this session
For years, short-term rentals – the rooms, cottages, condos and homes on apps like Airbnb and HomeAway – have been the subject of lawsuits and hand-wringing on the part of regulators and people looking to rent out properties. Texas lawmakers haven’t yet figured out how to regulate them, but a handful of bills have been […]