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While it takes Mckellar halfway through the football season to turn a profit, she depends on tips from guests and the relationships she has with the people who rent out her properties to extend into the off-season. Some of the people who stay for a game day weekend at one of her properties will reserve a unit for the whole year, especially if they have kids that go to LSU. She’s also had people who called looking for places to entertain their clients and rented out six or seven properties at a time.

While many individuals feel positively about the idea of short-term rentals in an urban setting, others are opposed. Their concerns range from increased noise and traffic issues to the possibility of creating a short-term-rental only neighborhood.

 

According to the City of Baton Rouge Planning Commission, there are 460 short-term rental properties in the East Baton Rouge Parish. With this high number of properties and not a guaranteed occupancy year round, residents have expressed concerns regarding the possibility of a vacant neighborhood that would create a divide in the sense of community in residential areas. Due to the backlash, EBRP has taken the matter into legal hands to mitigate the conflict.

Lauren Edens, a host who lives in her own property said, “I know Baton Rouge has tried to pass some laws to prevent Airbnb rental property.”

 

The city of Baton Rouge placed parameters for short-term rentals in East Baton Rouge Parish in November 2022. According to a meeting with the Metro Council in 2022, permits will be acquired for these rentals whether the host resides in the home or not. A study done by the City of Baton Rouge Planning Commission found that regulations were put in place for “owner-occupied” properties on a limited basis in all single-family residential zoning districts.

This decision was frustrating for many neighborhoods as short-term rental properties now must register with the parish. Previous to this decision, short-term rental companies like Airbnb were relatively free of regulation. This parameter is meant to ensure that the owners or Airbnb hosts are paying taxes on their properties.

 

No matter the backlash to the short-term rental business, it is clearly a very successful entrepreneuring endeavor in Baton Rouge thanks to the tourism brought by LSU.

 

“LSU provides the missing piece to my hospitality year-round,” Mckellar said.