December 2023
December 2023 was a month of court orders. A Dallas County judge stopped the city enforcing its two short-term rental ordinances days before enforcement was due, and the city gave notice of appeal before the month ended. Australia's Federal Court ordered Airbnb Ireland to pay a A$15 million penalty over prices shown to Australians in US dollars. Airbnb also agreed to pay Italy's tax authorities and announced a reshuffle of its senior team, and AirDNA forecast balanced growth for the United States industry in 2024.
A look back, written in October 2026 from sources published in December 2023. Stay Gazette opened in July 2026.
Crackdown · 6 December 2023Dallas Judge Blocks Enforcement of the City's Short-Term Rental OrdinancesA Dallas County district court signed a temporary injunction on 6 December 2023 that stopped the city enforcing the two short-term rental ordinances its council had passed in June, days before enforcement was due to start. Under the order, hosts in single-family neighborhoods could keep operating through a trial set for June 2024 unless the court ordered otherwise.By Marcus Dane · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
World · 20 December 2023Australian Court Orders Airbnb to Pay A$15 Million Over US Dollar PricesThe Federal Court of Australia ordered Airbnb Ireland on 20 December 2023 to pay a A$15 million penalty for showing some Australian users prices in US dollars behind a bare dollar sign. Airbnb admitted the conduct and gave the regulator an undertaking to offer compensation to about 63,000 consumers.By Tomás Ferreira · Filed 11 October 2026 · 7 min read
Pictures on this page. 1. Photo: View of Dallas City Hall from Reunion Tower August 2015 14 by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized). 2. Photo: Aerial panorama of South Yarra facing the Melbourne skyline. September 2023 by Bob Tan, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).
What else was reported in December 2023
- 13 December 2023Short Term Rentalz reported on 13 December 2023 that Airbnb had agreed to pay €576 million to Italy's tax authorities, a settlement the company said covered host withholdings between 2017 and 2021, and that it would not seek to recover the money from hosts. Short Term Rentalz
- 21 December 2023AirDNA's 2024 outlook, as reported by Short Term Rentalz, forecast United States demand rising 10.7 per cent and supply 10.9 per cent, with revenue per available rental up 1.9 per cent after a 4.9 per cent drop that the report described as the industry's first. Short Term Rentalz
- 5 December 2023Airbnb said chief financial officer Dave Stephenson would become its first chief business officer from January, that finance vice president Ellie Mertz would succeed him, and that global head of hosting Catherine Powell would move to an advisory role before leaving the company. Short Term Rentalz
- 4 December 2023In the United Kingdom, a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Hospitality and Tourism called for a national and mandatory registration scheme for short-term lets in England, with local authorities able to enforce health and safety rules on registered properties. Short Term Rentalz
- 13 December 2023London property managers Veeve and UnderTheDoormat Group merged, with UnderTheDoormat chief executive Merilee Karr to lead the combined group and investors led by Smedvig Capital supporting the deal with around £4 million. Short Term Rentalz