NYC Cracking Down on Short-Term Rentals

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Booking an Airbnb or VRBO in New York City is about to become a lot harder.
According to USA Today, the Big Apple will begin enforcing its Short-Term Rental Registration Law on September 5th, which requires short-term rental hosts to register with the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement.
USA Today reports that the new city law is aimed at cracking down on short-term rentals. The law requires hosts to acknowledge and comply with regulations, and forbids booking platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com from processing transactions for those that are unregistered. Hosts can only offer short-term rentals if they remain in the apartment or unit with their guests. They are also prohibited from having more than two paying guests at a time, among other rules.
The law was passed in response to concerns about the impact of short-term rentals on the city’s housing market. Some residents have complained that short-term rentals are driving up the cost of housing and making it more difficult for people to find affordable places to live. The law is intended to help address these concerns by limiting the number of short-term rentals and ensuring that they are not used to displace permanent residents.
The law has been met with mixed reactions. Some people support the law, saying that it is necessary to protect the city’s housing market. Others have criticized the law, saying that it is too restrictive and will harm the tourism industry. It remains to be seen how the law will impact the city’s short-term rental market in the long run.
“New York City’s new short-term rental rules are a blow to its tourism economy and the thousands of New Yorkers and small businesses in the outer boroughs who rely on home sharing and tourism dollars to help make ends meet,” Theo Yedinsky, Global Policy Director for Airbnb, told USA Today in an emailed statement.“The city is sending a clear message to millions of potential visitors who will now have fewer accommodation options when they visit New York City: you are not welcome.”