Thursday, June 11, 2015

City Council plans to go after AirBnB


From CBS:

Landlords who illegally rent out their apartments as hotel rooms through services such as Airbnb would face tougher fines under a new City Council proposal.

The fine for a first-time offense would skyrocket from $1,000 to $10,000 and the maximum penalty would be $50,000, said City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, who is co-sponsoring the legislation. Violators could also be fined an additional $2,000 per day for each day the original fine is not paid, WCBS 880’s Rich Lamb reported.
Rosenthal said the current $1,000 first-time fine does little to deter property owners.

“They treat it as the cost of doing business,” she said.

“We’re going to move to a system where there’s no financial incentive to behave as an illegal hotel operator. And that’s the goal of increasing the fines,” Rosenthal added.

In October, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said nearly three-quarters of the New York City listings offered by Airbnb violate city or state laws. Some opponents have argued the service shrinks the city’s stock of affordable housing.

7 comments:

Flooshing Rezident said...

How about homeowners and the renters of private homes? There's a (suspected) Chinese hotel on 164th operating out of a house rented to Chinese people. The only consistent occupant is an older Chinese lady.

People come and go with huge suitcases several times a week. You can see them sitting on the smoking bench checking their maps before heading to the Q16.

Is this legal? I believe most of the dwindling Caucasian population never bargained on living near a hotel!

Anonymous said...

The supreme court will finally end rent control, closed shops, civics and other feudal casuistry to return us to the freedoms we left the old world for

Joe Moretti said...

Yet, city council will not focus on a much bigger problem, illegal conversions of homes and apartment buildings into illegal apartments.

This they do not touch, which they should.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I wish these articles had a LIKE button!

Anonymous said...

Anything the city council does as far as taking action sounds like a lot of hot air.

Anonymous said...

"illegal conversions of homes and apartment buildings into illegal"


Its on news channels Obama via executive order is going to force city's to let this shit happen. Any city's and areas he decides are "to white" or dont have enough "HUD barracks" will have federal funding completely severed.
This and this secret "trade deal" have been going on behind closed doors for over 4 years. --In the deal Congress gives up power to make decisions including immigration to the President for 6 years. Permanent VISAS for workers from India, Pakistan and Africa.
Silicon Vally and Queens will be the top landing pads for these people (Queens getting the worst of them)

spacant said...

I disagree a large number of airbnb are investment vacation properties owned by out of towners.