A Coalition of Neighbors

We are a coalition of thousands of neighbors across Texas with this mission:

To help homeowners and residents restore a sense of safety and community found in their residential neighborhoods. We are a grassroots organization that provides guidance about short-term rental restrictions (typically applied by city ordinances to home rentals of less than 30 consecutive days) and other protections for residential neighborhoods. We work to:

Help residents, neighborhoods, and cities who are interested in restricting and regulating short-term rentals, like Airbnb and VRBO, in their residential neighborhoods.
Oppose statewide regulations that force short-term rentals into our local communities or would otherwise override local control and established ordinances dealing with land use issues.
Help local citizens enforce existing residential zoning laws that protect the property rights of residents who call their neighborhood home.

The Problem with Short-Term Rentals

Read our explanation of the impact of short-term rentals on communities in Texas.

Noise “The STR investor behind us put in a pool, party deck, hot tub and lights. We get anywhere from 2-9 hours of loud noise, music and parties at least 5 days a week. Our young daughter can’t sleep.”

Safety Since May 2019 there have been over 250 reported shootings at Airbnbs in the US, many more have likely gone unreported (Airbnb spends $50M annually to keep bad news out of the press). Airbnb states in regulatory filings they cannot confirm the identity or background of guests. “We had a crime incident at an Airbnb we were staying. When we wrote in the review, not only did Airbnb remove the review from the listing but said that any time law enforcement is involved at the place of your stay, Airbnb does not get involved.”
Parking “We often have 6 to 10 cars parked at the STR and up and down our street. The street is constantly clogged and there’s no place to park. Sometimes they bring a party bus to drop off the next group at the STR.”
Trash “Trash bins are left out for days and overflow into bags. Dogs and other animals scatter the trash and we’re the ones who have to pick up the mess.”
Housing shortages and high prices 2021 Study: “Short-term rentals via apps such as Airbnb contribute to housing shortages and rent increases.”
Strangers A typical whole house STR brings in 400-500 strangers to your neighborhood in a 6-month period - all without background checks (e.g., sex offender registry status) or other security measures. 2021 Study: “Airbnb raises violent crime rates in cities as long-term residents are pushed out.”

Local Solutions

Talk to your neighbors. Gather stories, pictures, video and data to present to police, code enforcement, elected officials and news organizations. Consider forming a local coalition that will increase and sustain pressure on lawmakers to protect neighborhoods. Join the TX Neighborhood Coalition and learn what’s worked for others and how to combat the misinformation from STR supporters.

Solutions