VRMA Administrator
The city council of Austin, Texas, plans to halt the operation of unlicensed short-term rentals. Austin code classifies three types of short-term rentals, each having its own rules and applications: Type 1 is owner-occupied single-family, multifamily or duplex; Type 2 is non-owner-occupied single family home or duplex; and Type 3 is for multifamily housing with either owner-occupied or non-owner-occupied status. Austin permits up to a quarter of units at multifamily apartments in a commercial zoning district to be short-term rentals if licensed, and licenses must be renewed yearly. The Austin code website indicates an eight-to-10-week processing time for short-term rental applications "due to staffing challenges." Documents released in 2019 estimate that just one out of four short-term rentals are licensed, while most licensed units are in District 9 covering downtown. The council's licensing enforcement program will target parties paid by unlicensed short-term rental operators. The council ordered the city manager to craft an amendment to bring before the council for a vote, which must be submitted by March 23. "I want to make sure that we're not doing anything that would not allow projects to get built, simply because we get mad at some of the enforcement or the lack of enforcement around short-term rentals," said District 8 Council member Paige Ellis.
KVUE.com (12/09/22) Erica Proffer
