re: Short Term Rentals

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BurlesonCountyAg

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My local government is considering this issue right now. I don't know the pros and cons of it. Obviously higher resale value is great, but will this generally decrease the quality of the neighborhood and community?

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What does your local government use the money derived from hotel/motel bed taxes for? How much money do your local hotels and motels generate in property taxes, sales taxes, payroll taxes, etc? How many jobs do they produce?

These are good questions to ask and have the answers to...because short-term rentals tend to have a negative effect on the answers to those questions.

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but will this generally decrease the quality of the neighborhood and community?

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Short term rentals don't necessarily erode the quality of a neighborhood and community IF the short term renters are well-behaved & respect community standards. Sadly, way too many STRs/AirBnB customers coming to New Orleans are selfish idiots (or drunk partiers), rather than respectful, quiet, cooperative people. Also, the STR stuff can be dreadful in neighborhoods/communities without the infrastructure to support higher density and/or tourist-type traffic. STRs also drive up rents in city centers, pushing lower-wage workers into the periphery....an especially vexing problem in a city like NOLA with substandard public transit. (Ever tried taking a public bus from Metairie to Canal St?) Cities like Paris and London deal with STRs by limiting the number of rental nights allowed per year.

I've done ABB in big cities and small towns in multiple countries; thus far, I haven't caused any problems, nor have I encountered any. That said, in every ABB rental, I was met by the property owner/manager personally, provided with detailed information on how to behave in the rental (with respect to noise, trash, recyclables, guests, etc)....I think that ABB done by absentee landlords or third-party private companies lacks the personal connection that helps to enforce community standards of behavior and consideration.

As long as the short term rentals are paying appropriate taxes, the rented units meet safety standards (smoke detectors, windows that open, fire extinguishers), and the tenants are well behaved, I've got no problem with it.