New Year, New Laws: Key State Legislation Impacting Your 2024 U.S. Travel Plans
New Year, New Laws: Key State Legislation Impacting Your 2024 U.S. Travel Plans - Short-Term Rental Regulations Get Stricter in Popular Destinations
As travelers increasingly turn to home-sharing platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo for accommodation, popular destinations are cracking down on short-term rentals with stricter regulations. Cities like New York, San Francisco, and Honolulu have passed laws limiting how often entire homes can be rented out to visitors. While supporters argue this protects housing affordability for residents, critics say it hurts tourism economies.
New Orleans resident Claire B. relies on Airbnb income to afford her mortgage payments. When the city enacted a ban on rentals without a homestead exemption, she had to delist her Uptown shotgun house. “I can’t afford the taxes otherwise,” she says. “It hurts small business owners like me.”
On Oahu, the Honolulu City Council halted new permits for hosted and whole-home rentals outside resort zones in 2019. Visitor Eli S. says this made booking beach vacations difficult: “Hotels were insanely expensive. We ended up just staying with friends.” However, resident Kamaile L. supports the cap on non-hosted rentals: “We need places for local people to live.”
In San Francisco, short-term rentals are only legal if hosts have a permit and live on-site at least 275 nights a year. Mario D. managed three investment properties in the Mission District before the rules took effect in 2015. “I had to sell two places because of the lost income,” he says. Still, housing advocates praise the ordinance for returning 5,000 homes to the long-term rental market.
As travelers plan 2024 trips, they’ll need to research local regulations at desired destinations. Cities like Denver, Nashville, and Austin have also enacted restrictions. Savvy visitors can still find legal home rentals by carefully reading listings. However, affordable accommodations may be scarcer in high-demand areas like beaches and downtowns. Consider booking early and expanding your search area.