Why would they crack down on a legal activity?

A lot of people are just avoiding it altogether.https://www.wbrc.com/2019/11/23/center-point-crack-down-slumlords-by-requiring-inspections/

The city has been trying to crack down on slumlords in the past few years so they're really strict. 

@Christopher Shei, just so aware, the City of Atlanta and surrounding Counties are starting to crack down on STRs.

If they dont do it right the patch can crack down the line making the steps uneven or even make the planks lift. $1200 does sounds like alot but if it is quality work and it lasts then its just another investment in the property.

Second , a few years ago there were a couple of high profile cases in which porches and decks gave way causing death to some which prompted the city to crack down and strengthen the code to protect people from situations like that from happening again. trust me this is not something to take lightly or try to perform the work without a permit.

Most people I know, who didn't buy more than 8 years ago have sold theirs due to aversion to the high turnover, fees by airbnb and other third party sites and the constant changes/crackdowns by communities. 

Many have done this successfully in the past, but it's getting harder due to many municipalities passing statutes or enforcing zoning to crack down on STRs.

Some municipalities are trying to crack down and it is hard to say which regulations will stick. 

With carrier crackdowns and a new election cycle coming up, I wonder how much longer people can continue to do cold texting.