Photo illustration by Sarah Schumacher
Audio By Carbonatix
The city of Richardson is the latest North Texas city to question whether short-term rentals are more of a nuisance than not.
Last month, residents spoke of the noise, trash, parking and safety issues they have seen caused by short-term rentals in their neighborhoods. Short-term rentals are stays lasting no more than 30 days, and are commonly listed on websites such as Airbnb and VRBO. The complaints heard in Richardson are similar to those reported in Dallas, Arlington, Plano and a host of other cities that have passed ordinances regulating such properties or imposing outright bans on listings in residential neighborhoods.
Following community complaints, the Richardson City Council approved a 90-day prohibition on new STR listings. The pause will run from the end of May through August, meaning homeowners will not be able to capitalize on last-minute demand driven by the FIFA World Cup’s presence in North Texas this summer.
During the pause, the city will begin collecting data on short-term rentals, including registered and unregistered properties, whether some neighborhoods have developed STR clusters, and the impact that vacation rentals have on residents’ quality of life.
“This isn’t against STRs or the many responsible, involved owners,” said council member Joe Corcoran during an April 20 work session. “I think that adopting this prohibition allows us to be robust. It allows us to look forward and adopt responsible regulations that respect property rights, while also being responsive to all the residents that have come to us with concerns.”
Corcoran added that he’d like to see city staff cross-reference the collected STR data with police and code compliance data to identify nuisance properties. Dallas attempted to pull similar data in its own short-term rental fight and, in 2024, found that code inspectors received 160 complaints in a year (not accounting for repeat complaints). At the time, more than 3,000 known STRs were registered within the city.
Council member Jennifer Justice added that she supports the moratorium because complaints about STRs are the “number one issue” that she hears about from residents. The council will have the option to extend the pause after August if more time is needed for the study.
The moratorium on new STR registrations will not affect any vacation rentals already in operation and in compliance with the city’s permitting process. Property owners interested in operating a vacation rental can register with the city until May 27, at which time the prohibition will take effect.
