Looking for the latest data on short-term rental license applications? Use our new Airbnb tracker.
The city of New Orlean’s experiment in legalized short-term rentals begins next month.
Last week, the city started accepting applications from residents who want to rent their houses and apartments through Airbnb and similar services.
We’re mapping the applications. We’ll update it periodically.
Applications received as of March 20: 294
Monday’s figure is an increase of more than 100 since Thursday, but it’s still far below the 4,500 Airbnb listings in the city logged by the tracking site Inside Airbnb. (It doesn’t track other popular platforms such as VRBO or Craigslist.)
But there are a couple weeks to go before the ordinance legalizing and regulating short-term rentals goes into effect.
In a statement last week, city spokeswoman Erin Burns said it’s too early to assess the number of applicants because the city expects to get most of them in April, when Airbnb provides the names of people who have registered through its service.
As of Monday morning, the city hadn’t approved any of these applications.
About the city’s short-term rental law
Last year, the city council approved what has been called a model for municipal regulation of short-term rental services. For years, rentals of fewer than 30 days have been illegal in most of the city (60 days in the French Quarter).
Starting April 1, short-term rentals are legal throughout the city, except in most of the Quarter. The law places a 90-day annual limit on rentals of entire houses or apartments in residential neighborhoods. There is no annual limit on half-doubles, spare rooms and properties in non-residential neighborhoods.
Annual licenses range from $50 for up to 90 days to $500 for a commercial license, which is only available in non-residential areas.
The ordinance came after the market for short-term rentals exploded in the city. Last year, The Lens even identified a handful of listings in buildings that were built or renovated with government subsidies for affordable housing.
Proponents of short-term rentals, such as the Alliance for Neighborhood Prosperity, argue that vacation rentals generate extra income that helps residents afford rent, property taxes and insurance.
Opponents argue that the use of private houses for tourism has contributed to rising rents and displaced residents.
The city has rarely enforced its ban on short-term rentals. City officials have said the fees collected for licenses will be used to enforce the new rules.
