From Huffington Post:Since the mayor's office began examining short-term rentals in 2006, it has fielded more than 3,000 complaints and issued almost 6,000 notices of violation, including fire, safety and occupancy infractions, which carry fines.
Airbnb says 87 percent of hosts in New York share the space they live in with guests. The company has called the subpoena of customer information by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman an "unfounded fishing expedition" and says hosts are responsible for following varying laws around the world.
NYC & Company, the city's official tourism agency, issued a statement saying, "This illegal practice takes away much needed hotel tax revenue from city coffers with no consumer protections against fire- and health-code violations." Neither city officials nor hotel organizations would estimate how much revenue hotels and the city might be losing.
Landlords and tenant organizations have long complained that short-term sublets are a violation of most leases and a security issue.
Having strangers coming in and out of a residential building "is a terrible problem," says Tom Cayler, chairman of the Illegal Hotel Committee for Manhattan's West Side Neighborhood Alliance. "If you come home at night and there are people in the lobby or elevator who you don't know, you should be scared."
Sam Shaber, a musician who rented space on the Lower East Side for $150 to $225 a night, says she welcomed guests from France, Argentina, Sweden and elsewhere. And she said she always got a good sense of them from online exchanges and profiles before handing over the keys.
"In this day and age of Craigslist, we have a radar for who's weird," Shaber said. "We never had one problem."
Airbnb renters say they can offer an experience hotels can't — the opportunity to live like a native in funky neighborhoods off the beaten tourist paths.
4 comments:
There's a certain European "charm" to all of this. It reminds me of when I was travelling by ferry around the Greek Isles. When the boat docked a gaggle of local women meeting the arriving boat would screech out to the disembarking tourists in the simplest English they had: "Rrroumz, rrroumz". They'd even fight over a "rrroumer" You'd select one of them (or they would select you) and then they would even carry your luggage up a hill to their house to their furnished "rrroum" and you'd stay the night in bare but comfortable, clean digs for about 10-15 bucks a stay. I did that in Paros, Naxos, and Santorini. It beat the more expensive hotel hands down. You actually lived in a family environment. I'd do it again.
I have to travel in my business, mostly in Europe but often in the States. I used to use sites like Travelcity, but I quickly found that a better way to find deals is to go the second level – those sites like Hotelscombined goo.gl/sptb2V who compare hundreds of different booking sites in one single search. So you not only see Travargo or Expedia deals but all of them in one place. I must have saved over £1500 since I started using them. I agree, that using one of the top bookings site is not the best idea.
It is a nice idea to stay in a local's apartment and get the feel of a foreign city - but as a co-op owner one does not pay maintenance to have strangers coming in and out of your building constantly.
Each building, be it rental, co-op or condo, has guidelines that are most likely not going to be followed by temporary tenants.
And where do rent-stabilized tenants get off illegally renting out their apartments? Right there they should be kicked out.
Rent-stabilization is an incredible privilege these days and people shouldn't abuse it!
Sam Shaber, a musician who rented space on the Lower East Side for $150 to $225 a night, says she welcomed guests from France, Argentina, Sweden and elsewhere. And she said she always got a good sense of them from online exchanges and profiles before handing over the keys.
"In this day and age of Craigslist, we have a radar for who's weird," Shaber said. "We never had one problem."
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HELLLLLLOOOOOO Anyone home?????
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