Emil Lippe and his wife were inside their Gaston Avenue home early one morning when strangers walked in. When Lippe asked what they were doing, they simply left and walked next door to the house that’s listed online as a great place to rent.
“We had the greatest neighbors for over 20 years, and then all of a sudden, next door is a hotel,” Lippe told ABC affiliate, WFAA.
Word is out that East Dallas is a great place to live, and visitors flock to hundreds of short-term rental homes in the neighborhood that are listed on websites like Airbnb. The homes can sleep dozens of guests who disturb longtime residents with home intrusions, parking violations and loud music in the wee hours of the morning.
Despite complaints to police and code enforcement officers, short-term rental property regulations are rarely enforced. Each owner is supposed to register and pay local taxes, but only 83 of perhaps hundreds of rental properties are on the registry, according to WFAA.
Dallas City Council members David Blewett and Paula Blackmon told irritated homeowners at a meeting Monday that the City of Dallas does not have adequate tools to manage the problem. However, city officials will soon roll out a new software to help track more rental properties.
