From the Daily News:Queens homeowners willing to hand over their house keys to strangers can net a tidy profit on the upcoming U.S. Open.
Signs are popping up on the leafy streets of Flushing offering residents up to $10,000 a day to rent out their homes during the Grand Slam tournament, which starts Aug. 31.
Major Event Rentalz, an Arizona-based company that helps people lease out their homes for major sporting events, posted the black-and-white signs.
So far, 10 local homeowners have offered up their digs on the company's Web site. Prices range from $2,000 a day for a three-bedroom home to $10,500 for an eight-bedroom mansion.
Major Event Rentalz collects a 10% commission for its service, which includes the Web listing and a local real estate agent to broker the contract between the homeowner and renter.
Other Flushing residents are cutting out middlemen like Johnson altogether, posting ads on Craigslist for two-week sublets during the tournament.
Rudy Luo is renting out the basement of his home to a tournament referee.
"It's a little bit of extra income for me," said Luo, who has been subletting his basement to tournament goers for years.
He charges $300 a week plus a security deposit.
Why didn't the Daily News call the Department of Buildings to ask about the legality of this? Why must they instead write what one of my readers said was "a fucking real estate pimp piece"?
24 comments:
Why is this a problem? It's very short-term, and there are ample precedents.
Sounds to me like someone's just a party-pooper.
Because running a hotel out of your home is illegal. Because it adds to instability of neighborhoods. First the U.S. Open, next, what else?
Because it hurts the hotel industry and we lose out on tax revenue. Do you need it spelled out for you?
Also once they're settled in it might be impossible to evict them easily at the end of their stay without going to court and eating up your illegally gotten rental gains!
Did you ever think of that?
What happens when one of the kids gets hurt in the house and the homeowners insurance policy doesn't cover it because the house was not being used for its insured purpose?
Ps-s-s-t, FYI....your home owner's insurance policy WILL NOT cover turning your home into an illegal commercial rental space.
You need business/commercial insurance for that.
For example,
if your renter boozes it up one night and causes a fire...YOU CAN'T COLLECT A CENT from your insurer because if you read your policy...your insurance becomes NULL & VOID if you are breaking the law...WHICH YOU ARE in such a case.
Also once they're settled in it might be impossible to evict them easily at the end of their stay without going to court and eating up your illegally gotten rental gains!
Did you ever think of that?
===========
C'mon, really? Someone is going to say "screw it, I'm leaving my life behind to squat in this rented home in flushing after the US Open is done!"
That scenario seems a little far fetched.
How about there is a storm. Or they lose their passports, or a number of other travel problems arises. You wanna be frozen out of your own house?
Hate to tell you but this activity is already taking place in Flushing.
There's a house near Marino's at which "friends and family" frequently arrive in the dark with a lot a luggage. Looks like an illegal B&B to everyone in the nabe.
How about there is a storm. Or they lose their passports, or a number of other travel problems arises. You wanna be frozen out of your own house?
===============
Perhaps a delay because of something like that, I could see happening but getting to the point where eviction has to happen, I would highly doubt it.
If someone does pull that off, I'm going to do that next time I go on a cruise. I figure that I could get atleast a month out of it.
My house, my rules. Too much regulation.
"My house my rules" doesn't cut it when you live in a stable community. Have some consideration for your neighbors. They don't want to come home to find they have new neighbors every week. Selfish people who want to milk their property for every penny are the reason for many of the building and zoning laws.
"There's a house near Marino's at which "friends and family" frequently arrive in the dark with a lot a luggage. Looks like an illegal B&B to everyone in the nabe."
Who does own complain to about a suspected illegal B&B? Is it the Buildings Dept?
Yes.
Because running a hotel out of your home is illegal. Because it adds to instability of neighborhoods. First the U.S. Open, next, what else?
First the U.S. Open, next... next year's U.S. Open? Look, what other reason would people have for spending $10,000/night to stay in Queens? You're overreacting and it looks ridiculous. And this is not "running a hotel," and it will not add to "instability of neighborhoods." This is private homeowners allowing guests into their homes for a few days, for a special event. When the event is done, the guests leave. End of story.
Because it hurts the hotel industry and we lose out on tax revenue.
Well, there may be tax revenues "lost," but at $10,000 a pop, again, this won't be hurting the hotel industry. This is overflow. Which, if you used your head, wouldn't be generating tax $$ for the city anyway. Maybe they'd be staying in Brick, NJ otherwise.
Remember Inauguration '09, people? Same thing happened in DC, and did we hear about all the "instability" these guests wreaked on our nation's capitol? Nope. In fact, they probably spent a few dollars on meals while they were there.
So it's ok for someone to plunk down $10,000 to stay in someone's house (which means the owners are not on the premises), for the owner to collect $10,000 tax free, and for the government to lose out on the tax revenue so a midwestern asswipe can stay in a house in North Flushing instead of in hotel? Have you not heard about the hotel industry suffering? All the people who are being laid off because there is no business?
Brick, NJ? Are you kidding with all the hotels that are in this city, even during a prime event, they are not sold out. When times were good they were operating under capacity. Yet they built more.
The "next event" could be a concert series at CitiField, a political convention, the Belmont Stakes, the World Series etc.
I'm sure the out of towners will really care about the peace and quiet of the neighbors when they are partying in the backyard.
This is just plain selfish.
Get your head out of your ass.
It really doesn't surprise me that there are commenters on here that are in favor of this type of activity. It's the reason why Queens is in the crapper. "It's my right!" is the answer you get for all types of illegal and inconsiderate behavior these days. This is promoted by the Machine. Thanks for participating.
Since when is two weeks "very short term?"
Most hospitalizations last for less than that.
"This is private homeowners allowing guests into their homes for a few days, for a special event."
So how is this different than running a hotel? They let guests stay for a few days, usually during special events. The hotel industry supposedly got a boost from the RNC convention, the Gates, the Waterfalls, etc.
Maybe everyone should just cash in by renting their home out to tourists whenever possible.
Fuck the regulated hotel industry! Fuck jobs! Fuck paying taxes! Fuck Queens!
That'll teach 'em!
So it's ok for someone to plunk down $10,000 to stay in someone's house (which means the owners are not on the premises)
First, you're assuming the owners are not on the premises. Which is a faulty assumption. Have you never heard of a spare bedroom?
for the government to lose out on the tax revenue so a midwestern asswipe
Whoo boy! Double whammy of idiocy here!
First, nobody in their right mind is going to pay $10,000/night for a spare bedroom when a hotel room is available for $100-$600, or whatever those things go for. So this is not "government losing out" on legitimate tax revenues. I repeat. This. Is. Overflow. Only.
Secondly, why do you assume this is a midwesterner instead of a middle easterner? And why does it matter where the money comes from? You're a chauvinist pig, crapmeister.
Brick, NJ? Are you kidding with all the hotels that are in this city, even during a prime event, they are not sold out.
Uh huh.
Okay.
So explain to me why people would be willing to spend $10,000/night for a spare bedroom in someone's home? There must be some officially sanctioned market-based explanation for this.
Or maybe it's that the hotels ARE ALL BOOKED AND YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT.
The "next event" could be a concert series at CitiField, a political convention, the Belmont Stakes, the World Series etc.
You're killing me here. I love a good laugh now and then, but we're talking about Queens. The only tourist-worthy attraction here is the US Open. Nobody gives a shit about your wonderful diversity! vibrancy! immigrants! Or a dorky concert at... what? CitiField? I thought that was Shea. Or a "political convention"... yeah, that'll really draw numbers to Queens.
You guys are totally deluded if you think $10,000 a night is anything other than overflow from capacity hotel rooms. Deluded, and possibly little girls that need their diapers changed.
No "one" is paying $10,000 a night to stay in a house. That cost is going to be divvied up between a bunch of young adults (who certainly are going to want their privacy - so no one's staying in a "spare room"). Think about the scene in the Hamptons where 30 people (illegally) share a house and go out partying all night while the real owner is on their vacation. This is going to be the same thing. But the $10,000/night scenario is an extreme example.
If you get your head out of your ass and read the entire article, you'll discover the owners who proudly "cut out the middlemen" and post directly on Craigslist during the tournament to rent out their basements, which most certainly is illegal. And if they get away with it during the tournament, chances are they'll do it year round.
And this has nothing to do with "hotel overflow." The hotels do not sell out during US Open time because many of the attendees are locals. This has to do with attendees wanting to save money and owners wanting to cash in.
As for your ignorance about no one wanting to stay in Queens, why are they building so many hotels here, and why are there so many ads for illegal ones operating in the borough? Check Craigslist any time there is any kind of event and you'll see dozens of postings. Hell, check it when there isn't an event. I've posted these type of ads several times. Time to get a clue.
Johnson said 70% of his clients are from "corporate America" and have the cash to pay the price for privacy, space and proximity to the tournament at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
Yeah right. Queens is getting the other 30%.
You can have a guest or guests in your home...agreed.
But if they pay you for that privilege it's a business and you'd better contact your insurance agent before you do it!
I think, unfortunately, a small B&B is allowable...provided they're registered, follow fire codes and pay taxes.
Please correct me if I'm wrong on this.
P.S.
When a movie company rents your home for location shooting they usually provide the insurance bond.
Why didn't the Daily News call the Department of buildings. ?
1-Because the pimp breaking the law is Asian.
2- Bloomberg and his press agents operate daily news via remote control. Bloomberg need to stay friends with all the Asians and Hispanics to stay in power forever.
In 2009 you have to be a white working tax paying law abiding American to have the Daily News, Newsday and local TV blow a whistle on you
Post a Comment