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New York City starts cracking down on illegal Airbnb listings
New York's ban on short-term rentals has officially started cracking down. As the New York Post reports, a notorious Manhattan landlord and a Brooklyn real estate broker were hit with 17 total violations of the new law. Each violation carries a $1,000 fine.
A new, compromise-friendly Airbnb makes nice with New Orleans
We knew Airbnb was working with more accommodating policies as it tries to improve relationships with the cities that don't love it, but it turns out the company really is willing to make some tough concessions. Case in point: New Orleans. Recently, the city and the company brokered a deal in which Airbnb would provide the municipal government with the names and addresses of hosts, as well as agreeing that hosts would have to register with the city and obtain permits.
Airbnb drops its lawsuit against New York
Some of Airbnb's larger US legal battles are winding down quickly. In the wake of a settlement with the state, the rental listings company is dropping a lawsuit against New York that fought a ban on short-term rentals where the tenant isn't present. State assembly member Linda Rosenthal describes this as a victory over a "foolhardy and frivolous" complaint, although there is a degree of compromise involved. Officials won't aim to directly punish Airbnb, Rosenthal says. While they'd never intended to single out Airbnb in the first place, the focus will instead be on the people abusing services for bootleg hotels and similarly sketchy operations.
Airbnb settles lawsuit with New York over short-term rental law
Airbnb has settled its lawsuit against the state of New York, but that doesn't mean it has given up. The rental listing service sued the state after governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that made it illegal to rent out units in buildings for less than 30 days if the tenant isn't there. Those who violate it will be subject to some pretty heavy fines, starting at $1,000 for the first instance. You just haven't heard of anyone being slapped with a fine yet, because authorities decided not to enforce the law until this lawsuit has been settled. Now, the two parties have agreed that New York City and not the state will be responsible for enforcing the new law, so they filed papers to dismiss the lawsuit.
New York passes law making it illegal to list short-term rentals on Airbnb (update)
New York governor Andrew Cuomo just signed a bill into law that will make it much harder for Airbnb to operate in the state. New York already prohibits rentals of less than 30 days in a multi-unit building if the tenant is not present -- a situation that many Airbnb listings advertise. This new law makes even listing an advertisement for such a situation illegal itself, a tool that some think the state will use to go after Airbnb directly.
Airbnb bans multi-listing hosts in New York and San Francisco
Airbnb knows that city and state governments are eager to crack down on abuse of its home rentals for makeshift hotels, so it's taking action before it has no choice. As of November 1st, residential hosts are banned from offering multiple listings in both New York state and San Francisco -- you can't just buy up a string of apartments in the hope of turning a profit. At least in New York, it will also implement a three-strikes policy that permanently bans repeat offenders. It's not yet certain that Airbnb will institute similar rules in other areas, though it wouldn't be surprising if they spread elsewhere.
Chicago allows Airbnb to operate under restrictions
Alternate housing fans touring the Windy City, rejoice. Chicago's city council passed two measures yesterday to allow short-term rentals, permitting users to post their spaces on Airbnb so long as they play by new rules. Only so many living areas can be listed at one time in multi-unit residences, so get ready to ask your neighbors who's scheduled to rent out their apartment on which days.
Cities are collaborating on rules for Uber and Airbnb
The sharing economy,and the companies that embody it, have often waded into a fight wherever they set up shop. That's because local governments aren't nimble enough to cope with such radically new ideas, and the companies themselves often struggle with compromise. In order to smooth things over, a coalition of 10 cities across the globe are collaborating on a framework that'll provide these companies with ground rules to abide by. Bloomberg quotes New York official Wiley Norvell, who says that providing common rules will help both protect users and ensure that political voices are heard by famously regulation-averse startups.
Berlin bans renting whole apartments through Airbnb
One of the biggest concerns with Airbnb is its effect on housing prices -- when people turn entire apartments into makeshift hotels, it tends to drive up apartment rental rates and punish locals searching for homes. Berlin isn't having any of it, though. After a two-year transition period, the German city has enacted a new law (the oh-so-catchy "Zweckenfremdungsverbot") that bans short-term rentals of whole apartments through Airbnb and similar online services. You're now restricted to renting individual rooms unless you get a special permit.
Half of Airbnb's New York City hosts are breaking the law
New York's Attorney General already suspects that most Airbnb rentals in New York City are dodgy, and he now has some extra evidence to back up that claim... from Airbnb itself. The room sharing service has published data which, when given a close inspection, reveals that 55 percent of NYC hosts are (typically) violating the law by renting out whole apartments while they're gone. They're not necessarily setting up illegal hotels, but the Attorney General's 2014 report revealed that 37 percent of revenue came from hosts with three or more listings. Unless there's been a change in the past year, the odds are high that some of those recent hosts are abusing Airbnb to make a tidy profit.
