LAFAYETTE, La. — In 2023, the Hub City was named the best place to travel worldwide by Travel Lemming, a U.S.-based online travel guide. The city welcomes hundreds of tourists traveling to the state to experience the many festivals that Acadiana has to offer, but a recent ban on short-term rental properties earlier this month is raising concerns about the future of the available accommodations in Lafayette.
Last October, the Lafayette City Council enacted an ordinance prohibiting short-term rentals—defined as stays of 30 days or less—within single-family residential neighborhoods classified as RS1 zones.
This ban has effectively barred many rental listings from being advertised on popular platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.
In response to the new regulations, five rental properties sought rezoning from RS1 to mixed residential status to continue their operations. Among these were two properties owned by Toby Doré, founder of Cajun Stays. He tells KATC his requests were denied. He now wonders what the future holds for his business and the availability of rental properties in the city.
"This is not the way to do it, to have a ban that clearly wasn’t finished by the previous administration and not well thought out and wasn’t fair, and there’s many more important issues that the city should focus on," he says.
Doré believes that his rentals play a vital role in supporting local tourism, promoting Lafayette's rich cultural heritage, and sharing it.
Council members previously told KATC last year that the regulations and bans were implemented to reduce disturbances in residential neighborhoods. To read more about our past coverage, check the links below:
https://www.katc.com/homepage-showcase/ordinances-proposed-for-short-term-rentals-in-lafayette
https://www.katc.com/homepage-showcase/lcg-postpones-vote-on-short-term-rentals
