City Council toughens laws on Airbnb rentals

Airbnb: ‘The fix was in’

July 19, 2018 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Councilmember Jumaane D. Williams said the legislation would “provide vital transparency in an industry that includes bad actors like Airbnb.” AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

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The New York City Council cracked down on Airbnb on Wednesday, passing legislation unanimously that would require short term rental companies to provide the address of their rental units and other host information to the city’s enforcement agency.

A coalition of housing and community advocacy organizations had pressed for the bill, saying companies like Airbnb have sucked affordable housing off the market.

Councilmember Jumaane D. Williams (D-Brooklyn) said the legislation would “provide vital transparency in an industry that includes bad actors like Airbnb.”

“Airbnb has exacerbated the affordable housing and homelessness crisis we face, while skirting regulations intended to protect tenants and preserve affordable units,” Williams said in a release. He added, “They were the most disrespectful entity I’ve seen come before the City Council, and flatly refused to accept any housing laws as legitimate. To be clear, if Airbnb truly cared about these homeowners, they would work with the Council to root out the most egregious actors. They have not.”

An analysis by Crain’s New York found roughly 40,000 Airbnb rentals listed in the city in July 2017, with about 30,000 of them active at that time. Numbers in Brooklyn were growing last July: Bushwick saw an 11.6 percent rise, while Sunset Park grew 29.2 percent.

Airbnb: ‘The Fix Was In’

Airbnb, however, called foul on the legislation, claiming Council members were in the pocket of the hotel industry.

“After taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the hotel industry, we’re not surprised the City Council refused to meet with their own constituents who rely on home sharing to pay the bills and then voted to protect the profits of big hotels,” Liz DeBold Fusco, Airbnb spokeswoman, said in a statement.

She added, “The fix was in from the start and now New Yorkers will be subject to unchecked, aggressive harassment and privacy violations, rubber stamped by the City Council.”

On Wednesday, Sunset Park Airbnb host Stanley Karol announced he was filing a lawsuit against the city, which he says targeted him after he spoke out against legislation. Karol uses Airbnb to rent out part of his two-family home. He said in a statement that he is disabled and uses Airbnb to supplement his limited income from disability payments.

Under New York state’s multiple dwelling law, it is illegal in most buildings for an apartment to be rented out for less than 30 days unless the actual tenant is living in the apartment at the same time.

The bill was sponsored by Councilmember Carlina Rivera, and had the support of Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

The bill now goes to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who must sign it before it becomes law.