NEW YORK: If you’ve recently tried to book a short-term apartment for a vacation in New York, you may have noticed a surprising scarcity of options on platforms like Airbnb or VRBO.
This scarcity resulted from a new city law that took effect this week, prohibiting rentals for less than 30 days. As a result, a significant portion of the city’s 36,000 short-term tourist apartments are no longer available for rental.
This move has sparked mixed reactions among New Yorkers and visitors. Some, like Joe McCambley, a 66-year-old former Airbnb customer, believe that the city is making a mistake by discouraging younger people from coming to New York.
Under the new law, only room rentals are allowed when the landlord resides in the apartment and is present throughout the entire stay.
Additionally, the number of visitors is limited to two at a time, and they are not permitted to lock their room doors. Hosts must register with the mayor’s office and pay $145 fee every two years, but permits are granted sparingly. Of the over 3,800 applications received, fewer than 300 have been approved.
Law violators face fines ranging from $1,000 to $7,500 without impacting the guests.
The law has its share of critics, including property owners and platforms like Airbnb, who argue against its restrictions. However, many city residents support the measure, seeing it as a way to address the housing shortage issue in New York.
Marianne LeNabat, a 44-year-old city resident, believes the law is necessary, given the unaffordability of housing in New York. She believes introducing more housing stock is not the sole solution, and removing numerous units from the short-term rental market can help alleviate the problem.
The mayor’s office defends the law, aiming to curb what it calls an illegal practice that causes “noise, litter, and personal safety” concerns for permanent residents.
The Office of Special Enforcement, responsible for enforcing the ordinance passed in January 2022 after years of attempts to regulate the market, emphasizes that many permanent residential buildings lack sufficient security personnel to handle travelers.
