The New York City Council has designs on making it tougher for Airbnb and their competitors to conduct business in the five boroughs.
The law, if passed, would hand down regulations that would make it mandatory for all home sharing services to provide the Mayor's Office of Special Services with the address of all their listings. Plus provide the city with the size of the space you are renting out to the public.
Recently city officials in other large metropolitan areas have changed how they regulate Airbnb operations. In San Francisco, Airbnb saw a 50% drop in listings after the new laws were put in place.
The law backed by Democratic Councilwoman Carlina Rivera is a way for the city to get rid of the trouble making hosts. Rivera said, "Our number 1 goal with this legislation is to remove the bad actors that Airbnb has already admitted exist in their system today." The councilwoman also added, "Airbnb appears unable or unwilling to remove these users who are illegally taking rent regulated and stabilized units away from New Yorkers who desperately need them."
Josh Meltzer, an Airbnb official said the bill is a gift to the Hotel Trades Council. Records show that Councilwoman Rivera's campaign received a $5,500 dollar donation from the union in 2017.
According to an article published in the New York Post, New York City has 52,653 active Airbnb listings.
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