“Nobody Should Have to Die like This”: Host Liability in the Louisiana Short-Term Rental Market

Comment by Matthew D. Ross

This Comment attempts to define the duties owed by Short-Term Rental (STR) hosts under Louisiana law by drawing on existing landlord and innkeeper liability and applying this liability to STR hosts in a number of real-life examples. This Comment proceeds as follows. Part II surveys Louisiana law concerning landlord and innkeeper liability for personal injury to their tenants or guests. Part III applies Louisiana landlord and innkeeper liability law to three examples that implicate the STR host's liability for conditions on the premises and for injuries caused by third parties. Part IV argues that Louisiana courts should treat STR hosts as a separate category distinct from landlords and innkeepers but should hold the STR host to the same standard as innkeepers for his/her guests' personal injuries.


About the Author

Matthew D. Ross: J.D. candidate 2020, Tulane University Law School; B.A./B.S. 2017, Louisiana State University.

Citation

94 Tul. L. Rev. 587 (2020)