NEW ORLEANS —

After years of illegal short-term rentals slipping through the cracks, the City of New Orleans says it’s finally cracking down.

But as new enforcement rules collide with lawsuits and federal court rulings, residents and housing advocates are asking if the crackdown is actually helping, or if it is creating a new set of problems. Advertisement

For years, the city struggled to regulate an exploding short-term-rental market.

Thousands of properties listed on Airbnb and VRBO operated without valid permits, avoiding taxes and frustrating neighbors who said their residential blocks were turning into tourist zones.

A 2022 report from the Office of Inspector General found that enforcement was virtually nonexistent. Investigators needed only a single day to identify 12 illegal l

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