Airbnb Removes Hundreds of New Orleans Listings Amid Strict Short-Term Rental Crackdown

Airbnb Strips New Orleans Listings as City Enforces Tougher Rental Rules

In a city known for its musical spirit and one-of-a-kind charm, Airbnb hosts and property owners found themselves facing a new reality this August. The New Orleans cityscape, famous for neighborhoods like the French Quarter and Garden District, is now seeing widespread changes in local short-term rentals. While regulations have been debated for years, the latest enforcement round is changing the rental market in ways the city hasn’t seen before.

Early August marked the beginning of tough new licensing rules, prompting Airbnb—the leading platform for short-term stays—to start pulling a large number of unlicensed listings from its site. Though concrete figures are hard to pin down, several local operators estimate more than 1,000 properties vanished from Airbnb over just a few weeks.

These changes cap off a decade-long dispute in New Orleans over the growth of vacation rentals. Owners maintain that Airbnb and similar platforms allow them to make the most of their properties, especially in iconic areas. Yet, critics argue that the expansion of rentals has increased housing prices and altered the feel of distinctive city neighborhoods.

Why the Rules Got Tougher

For years, locals raised concerns about the unchecked rise of short-term rentals. That pressure pushed city officials to introduce some of the most restrictive guidelines in the U.S. just two years ago. Several legal battles followed, but by 2025, those rules are now being firmly enforced—not just by the city, but by the platforms themselves.

In the past, removing unlawful listings was up to city officials. For the first time now, Airbnb and others must actively monitor and de-list properties lacking proper 2025 permits. As of August 1, any unlicensed rentals found on these platforms are required to disappear from public view.

“As of August 1, 2025, short‑term rental platforms, including Airbnb, are required to remove listings in New Orleans that do not have a valid 2025 permit,” Airbnb announced in a recent statement. “Airbnb is complying with these new requirements.”

Although Airbnb repeated objections that these regulations are difficult for platforms to uphold—and at times harm hosts who rely on this income—they’re keeping in line with city mandates.

Numbers and Local Impact

So far, neither Airbnb nor city officials are sharing exact numbers of affected properties. However, operators with hands-on knowledge of local Airbnb listings say more than 1,000 homes across New Orleans have disappeared from the site since enforcement began. One hotelier noted just in the Garden District area alone, listings dropped from 331 in late July to 199 after the deadline.

Meanwhile, management companies overseeing large portfolios say they’ve seen a decline between 16% and 20% in total rental units. According to tracking by AirDNA, a company specializing in short-term rental analytics, listings for Airbnb and Vrbo typically hovered around 7,750 through the first half of the year—a number sure to drop following the recent purge.

The New “One Per Block” Policy

What are these new rules, exactly? In most residential parts of the city, only one licensed short-term rental is allowed per square block. Licenses, awarded by lottery, can only go to individuals (not companies), and those individuals must live on the same lot as their rental property. Prime tourist draws such as the French Quarter and sections of the Garden District are strictly off-limits for these rentals.

Owners caught operating without the required permit face a steep penalty—$1,000 every day the rental remains listed.

These regulations have been a long time coming. City Council first voted in the new ordinances back in March 2023, after a federal court rejected an earlier ban that targeted nonresident owners. The current set of measures kicked in July 2023, and by August that year, all older permits expired. Things stalled almost immediately, though, when a judge halted the lottery system and other key rules. It wasn’t until February 2024, after courts upheld much of the framework, that enforcement picked up again.

The latest requirement—for platforms themselves to verify licenses—passed in late 2024 and started this summer, when all short-term rental permits expired or renewed on June 30, 2025. That initial deadline was stretched one month, but as of August, it’s fully active.

How Many Legal Rentals Are There?

According to data from the city’s dashboard, just 2,315 licenses are currently issued, with another 3,447 applications still working their way through the approval process. Only rental properties with valid licenses are now permitted to operate.

Both Airbnb and groups opposing the restrictions argue that the rules are unfair and sometimes hard to interpret, and that they push too much enforcement responsibility onto private companies like Airbnb and Vrbo.

That disagreement led Airbnb and four local property owners to file a lawsuit in U.S. Civil District Court earlier this year, challenging how the rules are written and enforced.

Stories From Owners on the Ground

Many homeowners made financial decisions years ago based on the idea that they could rent out units to visitors. Now, some say the city’s new policies have left them shouldering unexpected costs. One owner in Hollygrove, who had renovated a multi-family property and intended to live in one unit while renting two, found himself suddenly unable to advertise both units. He shared that he could be losing between $15,000 and $30,000 each year due to the rule changes, all while seeing costs for insurance, taxes, and upkeep continue to go up.

“I would never have purchased my $500,000 home if I knew that years later they would put strict policies in place,” he told reporters.

Airbnb labels the local rules as among the toughest anywhere in the country, arguing that they’ve cost the city millions in lost income and tax revenue. The company highlighted a 2023 analysis from Charles River Associates estimating that New Orleans forfeited $270 million because of the new framework.

The company also criticized the city for ongoing issues with permit renewals and communication. Reportedly, the renewal deadline was abruptly changed—leaving several hosts with little time to react. Some applicants had permits denied due to technicalities or city data errors, resulting in hundreds of hosts anxiously waiting for permit approvals right as the deadline took effect.

“In the weeks leading up to the August 1 deadline, many hosts reported challenges with the City’s permit renewal process,” Airbnb stated.

This uncertainty, they said, made it difficult for property owners to plan or rely on rental income to help cover their expenses.

Supporters Back the New Approach

Not everyone is unhappy with the stricter rules. Many hotel owners and local leaders welcome the tighter grip on short-term rentals. Several council members and regional economic advocates say the regulations are necessary to bring order and fairness to the city’s rental market. There’s a shared hope among them that strict enforcement restores balance, especially during high-demand events.

According to one prominent hotelier, the influx of unauthorized rentals damaged occupancy rates and nightly pricing, particularly during large occasions and festivals. Others managing permitted units indicated a willingness to adapt, provided the city upholds the rules consistently.

“We’ve lost some units, but I like the rules as long as they are enforced by the city,” said one property manager overseeing more than a hundred rental units across New Orleans.

On the other hand, a city spokesperson declined to comment on complaints from hosts regarding the rollout and its challenges.

Looking Ahead for New Orleans Rentals

As these new policies settle into place, New Orleans is entering a different era for short-term rentals. Only operators with proper licenses in hand, willing to comply with operating restrictions and local residency requirements, will keep their doors open to guests. The legal battles and standoffs between the city, the platforms, and homeowners are far from over—but for now, nearly every short-term rental property’s future in New Orleans depends on navigating this new rulebook.