An A-frame house in Central Houston posted on Airbnb.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire speaks during a news conference on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 in Houston.
When it comes to short-term rental properties, Mayor John Whitmire is right. Something needs to be done.
Houston, ranked No. 3 in the U.S. for short-term rentals last year, is one of the few major cities without regulations for short-term rentals.
Residents in the Museum District and the Galleria made news last week with complaints of noisy and unruly parties, domestic violence and public sex at area short-term rentals.
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Those neighborhoods aren’t alone. In recent years, we’ve seen a rise in short-term rental properties across the city. They are quite common in my Third Ward neighborhood, where many blocks are a mix of single-family homes and multi-family units. Most operate mannerly within quiet neighborhoods filled with families, children, and seniors, and you don't even realize they are there. On my block, there are at least five properties that are used for short-term rentals.
Most guests are good neighbors — patients being treated at the Texas Medical Center and guests who come into town for conferences, events, or even the Houston Rodeo. Short-term rentals can be cheaper than hotels and can provide the comforts of home.
But it’s those bad actors — the groups wanting a weekend turn-up or a night of debauchery — that give everyone the blues.
They bring in loud, unruly parties. Some of the guests engage in sexual acts on outdoor decks (we’ve witnessed that, too). Sometimes the parties overflow into the streets, or devolve into fights, that leave the neighborhood littered with trash and glass bottles.
Several months ago, I pulled onto my street at about 10 p.m. after leaving a downtown event. There was a huge party at a short-term rental complex on the block, which was sandwiched with cars and people standing on both sides, making it difficult just to get down the street.
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A white van had parallel parked at my driveway entrance, blocking it completely. Three young men stepped out. I yelled that it is illegal to block a driveway. One of the men yelled back that he thought everyone was in for the night. He eventually moved the van after spending 30 minutes looking for his keys.
Last month, we saw paramedics pull a body out of one of the units of the same complex. It was rumored that it was a drug overdose, but that was not confirmed.
In most instances, we know to call the police, but filing complaints with the short-term rental companies is a headache.
First you have to find the company that was used to book the property, and Airbnb isn’t the only one out there. There are many sites (VRBO, Booking.com, Expedia, Vacasa, Homestay, Hosty, FlipKey). If Airbnb delists or bans a property, it could easily pop up on another booking site.
Other major cities already regulate short-term rentals, and Houston can learn from their experience.
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In 2022, New York passed a law governing short-term rentals that requires hosts to register their property with the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement if they want to rent it for less than 30 days. Booking platforms cannot legally process transactions for unregistered listings.
Los Angeles enacted strict regulations for short-term rentals in 2019. Among the rules, the property must be the host’s primary residence, meaning they have to live there at least half of the year. No late-night parties are permitted.
Several of my neighbors have talked about putting pressure on the city to do more to protect our neighborhoods from short-term rentals. So it’s reassuring to hear that Mayor Whitmire is on the same page.
Whitmire has said he plans to meet with the City Attorney to propose an ordinance regulating short-term rentals like hotels. Similar regulations have been proposed in the past but have been stalled by the city’s legal department.
“No one should be exposed to the conditions that we’re hearing about today,” Whitmire said during a recent City Council meeting after several residents spoke about their nightmarish experiences. “… it just got moved up the priority list.”
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It should be a priority, especially for those neighborhoods that do not have homeowners associations or deed restrictions that could prohibit such property use.
More importantly, when regulations are put in place, the city needs to ensure there's enforcement behind them.
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