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This ruling only applies to the 5 boroughs of New York City, not the entire state.
1) First off, most uses in the city have always been against the rules -- it's been a known issue.
2) from TFA: "this law is only actionable as a secondary offense. For example, if the police show up after a noise complaint and then find you renting out your place, only then are you in extra trouble." So it's not going to stop most hosts in their tracks.
3) AFAIK, there is still a small subset of AirBNB rentals that are within the rules -- if you have a 2+ bedroom unit and live there as your primary residence, you are allowed to rent out your second+ bedrooms.
Happy (and eager) to be corrected on any of the above if I have the wrong understanding.
To be honest, I think there's a huge risk in the airbnb business; hitch-hiking was not only popular but normal for students and young people for decades in the US. Then a couple of people were raped and murdered and fear spread.
It's awful, but I think there's a significant risk for this exact scenario crushing airbnb. Not that it would be common or even likely, but all it would take was once, and the people could even know eachother. The media would pick it up and sensationalize it and the business would go down.
Its not that this specific NYC law exists and been upheld, its that there is a whole class of such laws across the West. People will bump into these a lot more.
My general libertarian bent generally would lead me to hate this sort of legislation, but in markets where housing is near max utilization, it's not only desirable, it's necessary. We already have enough of an issue with housing in places like NYC and SF without landlords turning apartment buildings into shitty hotels full of vacationers and Spring Break types who do not care the slightest for the condition of the pr…
My general libertarian bent generally would lead me to hate this sort of legislation, but in markets where housing is near max utilization, it's not only desirable, it's necessary. We already have enough of an issue with housing in places like NYC and SF without landlords turning apartment buildings into shitty hotels full of vacationers and Spring Break types who do not care the slightest for the condition of the pr…
This ruling only applies to the 5 boroughs of New York City, not the entire state.
This is a win for New Yorkers. The whole sharing economy thing is unsafe, ridiculous, and kind of pathetic.
If done safely and ethically, its a fabulous with for consumers.