In a 5-2 vote, New Orleans City Council finalized its regulations on short-term rentals.
On December 1, the city council approved regulation that allow home owners to rent portions of their homes without limits and capping whole-home rentals to 90 days out of the year. However, short-term rentals of any kind are officially banned in most of the French Quarter, according to The Advocate.
City council has made it mandatory to obtain a short-term rental license from its new short-term rental enforcement branch, according to Nola.com. The regulations take effect in the Spring of 2017.
This past November, during the city’s discussion of Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s 2017 proposed budget, the Landrieu administration allocated $619,000 to hire administrators for the city’s proposed short-term rental enforcement branch. The new administration will be responsible for distributing short-term rental licenses, enforcing the city’s regulations on rentals, and managing data provided by Airbnb and other rental agencies.
The city will hire a program manager, four inspectors and two information technology specialist for its new administrative branch.
After a 6-1 vote, city council passed preliminary regulations on short-term rentals on October 20, 2016. The final regulations approved December 1 are virtually the same.
In response to the approved regulations, Laura Spanjian, an Airbnb spokeswoman, wrote the following remarks in a prepared statement:
“Today’s vote is great news for the many families across New Orleans who rely on home sharing to make ends meet,” Spanjian said.
“We thank the Mayor and City Council for their leadership in developing fair, inclusive and common-sense policies after engaging in over a year of public dialogue. Airbnb and our host community are ready to do our part and honor our commitment to ensure this legislation achieves its goal of growing the local economy while protecting neighborhoods.”
- New Orleans short-term rental rules pass final vote, will be allowed throughout most of city [The Advocate]
- New Orleans City Council gives final approval to landmark short-term rental laws [Nola.com]
- New Orleans to enforce short-term rentals in Spring 2017 [Curbed NOLA]
- New Orleans short-term rentals: City Council votes 6-1 on regulations [Curbed NOLA]