Dallas City Council to finally decide on short-term rental ordinance
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The Dallas City Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a short-term rental ordinance that would require all operators to register with the city and pay hotel and occupancy taxes.
- Council will also consider whether to adopt a code change that would enact a near-complete ban on the rentals.
Why it matters: The issue has become a fight over property owners' rights, what neighborhoods want and how much the city can and should regulate.
State of play: City staff and the City Plan Commission don't agree on the best way to manage Airbnbs and other short-term rentals, despite more than three years of debate and research.
- City staff recommend an ordinance that requires registration and fee collection.
- The commission wants a code change that largely bans the rentals from single-family residential neighborhoods.
The latest: Dozens of Dallas residents went before the council during a briefing last week to complain about the nuisance and danger of short-term rentals, pointing to unruly house parties that have ended in gunfire.
- But many residents argued that the rentals shouldn't be banned because of a few bad actors.
By the numbers: Nearly 2,000 short-term rentals pay hotel occupancy taxes to the city. City staff predict there will be more than 3,000 registered if the new ordinance is adopted.
- If the code change is adopted, there will be only an estimated 150 short-term rentals in Dallas.
- With fewer rentals, the city estimates about $48,000 in annual revenue. For 3,000 rentals, the city estimates $1.5 million in annual revenue.
Threat level: Residents wearing "Homes Not Hotels" shirts told council members Airbnbs increase crime in their neighborhoods.
- City staff said 3% of 911 and 311 calls between January and April were about short-term rentals. About 20% of the rentals generated nuisance or public safety calls during that time.
Details: If council approves, the ordinance change would require a two-night minimum stay for Dallas short-term rentals.
- The owner would have to pay a $404 annual registration fee to the city.
Zoom out: New York City just agreed to postpone enforcing a municipal law requiring short-term rentals to register for an operating license, per Bloomberg.
- Airbnb sued this month to block the ordinance, which was scheduled to go into effect in July.
The bottom line: The city could face legal challenges if council adopts stricter regulations.