Airbnb Listings in NYC Being Removed Due to ‘De Facto Ban’
If you’re searching for a short-term rental in New York City on Airbnb, you may have limited options. The city is now cracking down on hosts by implementing new regulations. Hosts must now submit a registration application and fulfill certain criteria in order to rent out their homes for less than 30 days. Additionally, hosts can only offer short-term stays if they are also present in the home, and they can only accommodate a maximum of two guests at a time. It’s important to note that these requirements are not new, as they are part of existing rental rules. The only new aspect is the implementation of the Short-Term Rental Registration Law itself.
NYC’s Office of Special Enforcement announced on its website that on Sept. 5 it began working with booking platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo to ensure they comply with the city’s verification system. These companies must now check whether hosts who list their homes for stays of less than 30 days are approved by the authorities. According to The New York Times, only 257 application registrations have been approved so far out of 3,250 applications submitted as of August 28. That would mean thousands of listings could be removed from Airbnb, as the company estimates nearly 15,000 hosts posted short-term rental listings in New York last month.
Airbnb called the law a “de facto ban” on short-term rentals and filed a dismissed lawsuit last month to try to block its enforcement. Theo Yedinsky, the firm’s global director of policy, said the rules “are a blow to [NYC’s] tourism economy” and that “[the city] sends a clear message to the millions of potential visitors who now have fewer lodging options when they are allowed to visit New York: You are not welcome .”
City officials argued that enforcement of the new law would help prevent housing from being “wasted” by illegal short-term rentals. According to them, landlords who rent apartments for a short period of time increase the housing shortage and, as a result, make housing more expensive.
Airbnb told The Times and CNN that reservations for check-ins made on or before Dec. 1 will not be canceled, but the company will refund payments for those stays to comply with the new rules. In the meantime, all reservations starting December 2 will be canceled and guests will be refunded. Additionally, hosts will only find their information converted to long-term rentals if they allow 30 days or more of bookings on the platform. All information that only allows short-term bookings will be disabled.
