House Bill No. 518 aims to regulate short-term rental bookings by establishing civil penalties for booking agents that list properties not in compliance with local ordinances. The bill allows municipalities and parishes to adopt ordinances that require booking agents to include a local short-term rental license or permit number in their listings. Additionally, it mandates that booking agents remove listings within ten days of receiving notification from local authorities regarding violations, such as the suspension or revocation of a rental license. Violations of these regulations may result in civil penalties of up to $1,500 per infraction.

The bill also stipulates that fines collected from these penalties will be directed to the local housing authority and used for affordable housing initiatives, infrastructure, or efforts to alleviate homelessness. It clarifies definitions for terms such as "booking agent," "interactive computer service," and "short-term rental," while explicitly stating that an "owner's agent" does not include a booking agent. Amendments made during the legislative process removed the attorney general's authority to pursue fines and shifted the distribution of fines from the Main Street Program to local housing authorities.