Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Assembly bill seeks to unmask AirBnB rentals

From the Real Deal
From The Real Deal:

What could go wrong when sharing your address with thousands of strangers over the internet? A new bill sponsored by State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal would force Airbnb hosts to do just that.

Anyone who lists an apartment on the short-term rental site in New York would have to include the unit’s address, down to the apartment number. Rosenthal argued the bill would create “an open and honest system that prioritizes transparency and safety” and make it easier to unmask illegal listings.

A spokesperson for Airbnb said the bill will “put thousands of lives at risk.”

People who post illegal listings (such as renting out an entire unit for 30 days or less if the tenant or owner isn’t also present) could face fines ranging from $1,000 to $7,500, the New York Daily News reported.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

How is this going to put any life more at risk than the public telephone book? More like "put AirBnB's revenue at risk" when people shrink away from fear of getting caught illegally subletting their place.

(sarc) said...

The government meddling in the private transactions of people wishing to conduct commerce.

The Statists are just looking for more moneys to steal from We The People...

Anonymous said...

"Thousands of lives at risk"??? So this bill is likely to cause mass death/murder/a holocaust? Wow! And all most of want is to live in a neighborhood, not a hotel.

JQ LLC said...

There are constitutional problems with this as it tampers with 4th amendment rights. But airbnb made their customers/hosts situations with a sense of morality and a true need for extra income worse by not vetting their hosts and regulating themselves with those who abuse the service (which is what these types want right?)

Anonymous said...

AirBNB is bad for tenants in a building that has become a hotel and tenants that are being evicted because the space earns more for the landlord.

It should be shut down. There are times when government intervention makes sense. Hell, you could store nuclear waste in a room and even make more money. so yes stop it an intervene.

Anonymous said...

The public telephone books only includes a landline phone number. Is there even a book anymore? I've never used one.

Since most people don't have a landline this does put someone at risk.

Until the identity of a person can be verified people should not have to give out an address.
That is just stupid.

>>How is this going to put any life more at risk than the public telephone book

Anonymous said...

Check the donations to her campaign in the past four years from PACs (minimum $500):

http://www.elections.ny.gov:8080/plsql_browser/CONTRIBUTORA_COUNTY?ID_in=A19199&date_From=01/01/2013&date_to=06/30/2017&AMOUNT_From=500&AMOUNT_to=10000&ZIP1=&ZIP2=&ORDERBY_IN=N&CATEGORY_IN=OTHER

Anonymous said...

They want to track down illegal listing but not illegal aliens?

Typical.

Anonymous said...

They want to track down your income so they can tax the living crap out of you. The only people that these politicians want to see succeed financially are themselves and their cronies. If you're not part of their inner circle you're the dirt under their shoe. If illegal aliens had money they'd be after them.

Anonymous said...

If someone buys a condo, expecting standard Condo life and suddenlly they find themsleves living in what equates to a hotel that is taking from their safety.

Hotels have been sued for acts of crime that occur and so now there are security personnel. Where is the security for a condo that has one Condo owner acting like a hotel operator?

I no longer live in NYC but when I did I lived on a high floor in a really nice condo. Had one of the five apts on my floor been a Hotel it would have changed the entire experience and we had a health club in the basement, same deal. Also the doorman kept out everyone who didn't live there. What do they do when there are 20 apts that are essentially hotel guests? Who do they stop and who gets in?

I totally understand the concern. While I also understand the desire to make money, there are plenty of people who want to make extra money by selling prescription drugs without the "bother" of going to Med School, opening a licensed Pharmacy, or even getting a business license. I "get it" people want to be Hotel owners, without all the bother of actually BEING a hotel.

I have zero problems with "vacation rentals" for your own home, but when your rental becomes an issue in a Condo/Co-Op/or Apt Complex then that is 100% different.

How are the neighbors being compensated for all the crap they have to put up with? And there are Hotel Taxes for a reason, I also "get it" that in addition to not getting a business liecnse and not learning about the Hotel Business the AirBNB fold don't want to pay hotel taxes but nobody "wants: to pay taxes.

Anonymous said...

If you are earning income you owe income tax.
If it's a temporary rental there are so many expenses you can practically write off all the taxes.


>>They want to track down your income so they can tax the living crap out of you.

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the new Soviet Republic Of New York !!

FlooshingRezident said...

So basically any stranger can copy a building's front-door key for the price of a one-night stay! Also, rent-stabilized apartments can now be taken off the market by greedy landlords and co-op owners! And how about the low-rent crowds renting out homes in Queens for "parties"?

AirBnB is disgusting and dangerous! Juts shut it down!