City issues STR license fraud alert

Due to an increase in fraudulent short-term rental licenses, the city is cracking down on unlicensed short-term rentals and rental scams. The Austin Code Department reminds the public that owners of short-term rentals – any room, cottage, guest house that is rented for less than 30 days – must apply for an operating license annually. According to the city, “Scammers often use valid-looking printouts of a license with official-looking letterheads, graphics, and other forms of fraudulent identifiers including false information. Additionally, an STR license is considered fraudulent if presented or used as a valid document when its current state is expired.” A valid license should be posted inside every short-term rental. If you see a license posted on the wall but you’re not sure whether it’s valid, you can do a public search for the license here or here. If you think a license is fraudulent, report it to the Code Department at 512-974-2633.