New Orleans Approves Contentious Short-Term Rentals Regulation

"The New Orleans City Council approved Thursday (Oct. 20) what were described as landmark short-term rental regulations, legitimizing a practice that has flourished in recent years through listing websites," reports Kevin Litten. 

"Most notable in the new rules is a limit on whole-home rentals to out-of-town guests to 90 days a year, and an outright ban on them in most of the French Quarter."

The issue of whether and how to regulate short-term rentals has caused heated controversy in recent years in New Orleans. "City Council members said the issue was among the most difficult they have encountered in recent memory," according to Litten.

Litten also cites Deputy Mayor Ryan Berni, who was on hand at the deciding City Council hearing to make the case for the approved regulation as "a fair compromise that balances the significant economic impact -- Airbnb estimates $316 million in New Orleans short-term rental revenue last year -- with the "integrity" of New Orleans neighborhoods."