Dallas creates short-term rental regulatory task force
US: Dallas City Council has voted in favour of the creation of a research board to study the way the city regulates short-term rentals.
The group, established by the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee, was formed due to the city council’s concern that such rentals may have damaging effects on quality of life.
Dallas has been struggling to establish effective rules for its holiday rental laws when trying to work with the likes of Airbnb and other major OTAs. According to local news reports, many Airbnb sites are improperly registered, and other groups are worried about noise and littering, which places additional pressure on the Dallas PD.
City Council member David Blewett said: “I recognise unregulated short-term rentals as a threat to our single-family neighbours.”
Dallas has launched a variety of measures to get its market under control. The research board opened online registration for short-term rentals in 2019, encouraging those using these platforms to register.
Airbnb has responded to the move: “Airbnb has and will continue to work closely with the City of Dallas on regulations that allow the city to fully benefit from home sharing, while providing hosts with clarity as to the rules.”
Airbnb was used by 387,000 guests on its platform in Dallas County last year, with hosts making over $57.4 million.
Many other Texan cities have already laid out regulations. Though Houston remains open, Fort Worth has banned short-term rentals in residential areas, and Austin is currently fighting a lawsuit over the strictness of its regulations.
Governments across America, such as Arizona, Colorado and Boston, are all adding regulatory oversight for short-term rentals. These governments have found similar issues, primarily concerns over resident safety, housing prices and noise pollution.
West Dallas City Council member Omar Narvaez said of the matter: “I don’t want to over-regulate any of this but I do want to put down sensible regulations.”
