Texas Monthly published a scathing story about the short-term rental industry, with a special focus on the devastation in East Austin. This hard-hitting report by Pete Holley also covers the general disregard for the law by short-term rental operators and the impossibility of the city enforcing rules mandating good behavior. The story shows the reality of investment companies buying multiple houses in a neighborhood and running their commercial lodging operation in a residential area.
This is what happens when a city does not enforce its zoning and does not prohibit short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods. Austin made the mistake of allowing the registration of short-term rentals before establishing regulations. Now they have thousands of mini-hotels all over town.
Read the story here (requires a subscription): https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/inside-bro-tastic-party-airbnb-gentrifying-east-austin/
Or download a PDF of the article.