Friday, June 5, 2009

Illegal hotel problem getting worse

From the Daily News:

The city's legitimate hotel business is slumping, but the illegal room-rental industry is booming, said pols pushing to pass state legislation to stamp out the practice.

The number of residential buildings with units illegally converted to hotel rooms has soared by 20% in the past year, according to a study released Sunday.

Elected officials said the illegal hotels, which are marketed online, cut into the city's increasingly scarce stock of affordable housing and put both apartment dwellers and tourists in danger.

The study, done by the West Side Neighborhood Alliance, found illegal hotel operations in 270 buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, many in rent-stabilized, single-room occupancy buildings or apartment houses.

A growing number of sponsor-owned condo and co-op units have also been turned into makeshift hotel rooms.

Most of the illegal hotel operators don't pay city hotel taxes, the group said.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ok.............let's close more firehouses.

Anonymous said...

Listen, if ya shut the no tell motels down, how will the ladies that advertise in Shenkler's paper survive? Who needs Craig's List?

Anonymous said...

Maybe if some of those big time legit
hotels charged affordable rates you wouldn't see so many illegal ones popping up!

NOT THAT I'M IN FAVOR OF THESE DANGEROUS ILLEGAL B&Bs PROLIFERATING!

Most are fire traps and the income never gets reported by the owners!

Anonymous said...

There was a large old private home in my residential neighborhood that a Korean family attempted to convert into a 17 unit hotel!

That's right...17 personal room fridges and window air conditioners were witnessed being brought in by neighbors!

It got stopped by the FDNY, I believe!

I know damn well it wasn't the sleepy-time DOB...those lazy crooked bastards!

Anonymous said...

The hookers can f--k with their clients at the Queens Trib and then Mike Schenkler can demand his freebie from them!

Maybe Mike was the intermediary who supplied Manes and his gang for those sexual soirees they threw after they had consummated each of their business deals!

Read "City For Sale". I believe it's mentioned there