LAFAYETTE, La. — The city council will revisit the issue of short-term rentals this week.
A pair of ordinances to regulate Airbnb in residential neighborhoods.
The first ordinance by Councilman Pat Lewis would require homeowners to get a permit to have a short-term rental.
The second by Councilman Andy Naquin would prohibit short-term rentals in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Patrick Mould has been renting out his properties through sites like Airbnb and Vrbo in the city for more than a decade.
"My mission is to make my neighborhood better, it's not to be a problem or be detrimental to where I live," said Mould.
He worries both proposed ordinances will hurt the overall industry and his business.
"They just come in arbitrarily and create two ordinances that are gonna decimate the entire the industry in the city. It is not a good thing, show me the facts and show me that we are detrimental to the neighborhoods," Mould said.
Councilman Andy Naquin, who is proposing rentals in residential neighborhoods be prohibited, says residents are concerned that they operate like hotels and create more chances for loud parties and disturbances.
"The residences of the single-family homes that purchased have the belief they are gonna have established neighborhood with people that are long term there," stated Naquin. "These short term rentals are presenting a problem, they are taking over the available homes and creating a much more stressful situation with home availability for families, not to mention the complaints of the misuse of these short term rentals."
Mould is currently renovating a rental property with expenses ranging close to $40,000, but he says this amount is worth it so that others can come enjoy the city stay in his rentals.
"I enjoy people coming and staying at my property we get a lot of tourist," Mould tells KATC. "We are an economic engine in the City of Lafayette that's what the council is not getting."
The City Council will consider the ordinances Tuesday.
