Short-Term Rental Trial Delayed as Airbnbs Continue to Operate Legally in Residential Neighborhoods
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Members of the Dallas Short-Term Rental Alliance and the City of Dallas have been embroiled in a legal battle that was supposed to come to a head Monday in a non-jury trial, but officials involved in the matter say it has been delayed.
Lisa Sievers, a spokeswoman for the Dallas STRA, told CandysDirt.com that operators do not anticipate the case going to trial this week “as older cases are on the court’s trial docket and the City’s appeal of the temporary injunction is ongoing.”
The Dallas City Council banned STRs in single-family neighborhoods in a 12-3 vote about a year ago. Officials said at the time that enforcement would begin in December 2023.
But in October, the Dallas STRA sued the City of Dallas. District Judge Monica Purdy granted a temporary injunction on Dec. 6 that allowed Dallas STR operators to continue renting their properties while the matter is tied up in litigation.
Dallas appealed the ruling in January,
The City’s appeal was anticipated by the Dallas STRA, Sievers told CandysDirt.com earlier this year.
“We look forward to showing the court of appeals the compelling record that supports the injunction against these overreaching ordinances,” Seivers said in January. “Dallas Short-Term Rental Alliance will continue to fight for our right to continue to own and operate short-term rentals. And as we have stated many times, we stand ready to come to the table with the City to discuss fair and sensible regulations that rein in the few bad apples and allow the rest of us to continue to operate.”
Dallas Communications Director Jennifer Brown told CandysDirt.com on Friday that the City has been notified that a new trial date has not been set.
A note on the City of Dallas short-term rental webpage says, “On December 6, 2023, a temporary injunction was filed prohibiting the enforcement of the two short-term rental ordinances. In the meantime, the City will continue enforcement of its existing ordinances governing minimum property standards, disturbing noises, and private nuisances.”
The webpage does not appear to have been updated recently.
