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Code enforcement officials warning visiting renters to follow rules during ACL Fest

With Austin City Limits kicking off in less than 24 hours, tens of thousands of visitors are set to land in Austin these next two weekends.

With Austin City Limits kicking off in less than 24 hours, tens of thousands of visitors are set to land in Austin these next two weekends.

With all the people coming to town, a good number of them will be renting homes, especially in areas surrounding Zilker Park.

Officials with the Austin Code Department said code enforcement officers will be out in force to make sure things don't get out of hand.

They said this year they are adjusting the hours for code enforcement officers, during peak times of ACL.

The PACE Team – Public Assembly Code Enforcement will also be working with them to respond to complaints from residents.

Neighbors of rental properties in Austin said their nightmare is large groups renting out homes and disturbing the peace.

In response to that issue during last year’s ACL Fest, the Austin City Council passed an ordinance to phase out short-term rental permits by the year 2022 for homeowners who want to rent out their secondary homes.

As part of the ordinance, no parties are allowed.

"You're no longer allowed to have assemblies, bachelor parties, weddings, any of those types of big activities, and they’re no longer allowed to do that in any of the homes,” said Viola Ruiz, Short-term Lease Coordinator.

This year, those who already have permits will not be affected. Those looking to get these type 2 short-term rental permits are out of luck though, because of the moratorium that was issued.

KVUE News talked to homeowners, who make a living through short-term rental properties.

"It can greatly affect our financial circumstances, we are currently keeping a home that we could have lost because we're short term renting it, it is our dream home,” said Sharon Walker, Owner of Walker Luxury Vacation Rentals.

Walker said this ordinance is punishing even those who are going the extra mile to rent out to responsible tenants.

Leaders of HomeAway, a vacation rental company based in Austin, said they've noticed a higher demand for families and big groups of friends to come to Austin for ACL.

"There's not only a demand to rent out the property, by homeowners, but a demand for people to come to Austin to visit to rent a whole home, so I think it's important to keep that issue alive with the city council, as the moratorium goes on, maybe come up with a better game plan,” said Walter Gonzales, HomeAway Government Relations Manager.

During ACL, the City of Austin's Code Department will be out checking to make sure the proper permits are in place for these rental units. If not, city officials said their officers will issue a citation.

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