AUSTIN (KXAN) — It’s a story KXAN has done every year during Austin City Limits Music Festival for years. As thousands flood our city for the event, many are staying in unlicensed short-term rentals (think Airbnb or VRBO).
Austin City Council approves new short-term rental regulations
But this year, the city has new rules it hopes will help curb that issue moving forward.
Earlier this year, the city council approved the following:
- Short-term rentals (STRs) will be largely regulated through the city’s business code instead of its land development code (that goes into effect next month, Oct. 1)
- STR platforms are now required to collect Hotel Occupancy Tax (that went into effect April 1, 2025)
And just last month, they made additional changes:
“We appreciate the City’s thoughtfulness and collaboration throughout the process of streamlining their short-term rental ordinance. We support balanced regulations that maintain the City’s ability to curb bad actors while allowing VRBO hosts to continue their important contributions to Austin’s tourism economy,” said Jaclyn Terwey, Regional Government Affairs Manager for Expedia Group, which operates VRBO, said…