Rental scams are increasing across the U.S., with Houston among the cities hardest hit.

As the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches, Airbnb is expanding its use of artificial intelligence to help prevent unauthorized parties after a Houston short-term rental gathering ended in gunfire, raising renewed concerns about neighborhood safety and enforcement.

The City of Houston approved new short-term rental regulations in 2025, with enforcement beginning this year. The rules require many short-term rentals to register with the city, provide a 24-hour emergency contact and comply with regulations aimed at preventing large parties and nuisance complaints.

Families displaced from four flood-prone apartment complexes in Houston may be eligible for federal relocation assistance, but many are still unaccounted for, with hundreds of residents yet to claim the aid they’re entitled to under federal law.

Many Houston residents have voiced their frustrations with short-term rentals being used as party houses, and a city council member is looking to educate and inform so homeowners have the legal tools necessary to fight back.

Texas Central Railway purchased 41 homes in the White Oak subdivision with plans to eventually remove them and make way for the high-speed train project, but now, many of the purchased houses have fallen into disrepair, and squatters have moved into them.

A new report says activists want stricter regulations of short-term rentals in Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory sees a growing number of displaced renters and a spike in housing costs.

And now another company is trying to reinvent the storage industry by connecting people who have extra space with people who have extra stuff. Anywhere you have extra space in and around your home. With the company Neighbor, you can store your stuff in someone else's house instead of renting a pricier storage unit. They rented out a corner of their attic to a college student, and she brought her extra stuff. Odd rental spacesBut it's not just garages and extra space in driveways.