A purge of short-term rental listings in New Orleans has begun.

After years of lawsuits, rule changes and battles over the impact of the popular tourist rentals, Airbnb, the largest short-term rental platform, started removing unlicensed New Orleans listings from its site at the beginning of August.

That's when enforcement of the city's rigorous new permitting regulations officially kicked in, requiring rental platforms like Airbnb to ensure hosts are licensed. And while official data wasn't available, some short-term rental operators who keep close track of Airbnb listings estimate that more than 1,000 properties have been tossed from the site.

The move follows roughly a decade of controversy and complaints over the explosion of vacation rentals in the city. Operators argue that Airbnb

See Full Page