Airbnb must bear responsibility for whom they allow to use their site. They do take money from them. It is like an escort service pleading not guilty because they did not know their employees were hookers.

They also have no liability for any illegal activities perpetrated by guests as they have very subjective and casual system of rating guests.

It is the perfect business model and you are paying for it.

Airbnb must bear responsibility for whom they allow to use their site. They do take money from them. It is like an escort service pleading not guilty because they did not know their employees were hookers.

They also have no liability for any illegal activities perpetrated by guests as they have very subjective and casual system of rating guests.

It is the perfect business model and you are paying for it.

<It is like an escort service pleading not guilty because they did not know their employees were hookers.>
What a terrible analogy! Prostitution is illegal; renting lodging is not. The vast majority of Air BnB listings are legal. Air BnB makes it easier to break the law, but it's still the listers who are doing so. Would they still do so if Paris, NYC and other cities were to find a way to curb real estate inflation?

>> renting lodging is not.

I thought the analogy was funny

>> renting lodging is not.

I thought the analogy was right on!

If air BnB only listed legal sublets in NYC the problem would be solved. As it is they knowingly list many hundreds of illegal sublets and don't let the renters - who may not know any better - know they are doing something illegal. So the prostitution analogy is very apt for what they are doing in New York.

Doesn't it depend on the zoning?

No, the prohibition in NY is by statute or ordinance, it's not a matter of local zoning.

NewB, short terms rentals ARE illegal in NY unless it's just a room in a house/apartment and the owner/tenant will be there too, or an entire single-family house (I think). The fact that renting hotel rooms (by hotels) is not illegal is irrelevant.

The legal situation is complicated, this is NY.

Many laws about housing are made by the state Legislature and Governor. Some are local NYC laws and then the City also has Community Boards.

The regarding this aspect of Airbnb is a NY State law.
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Of course, Newbe is outraged. That's her job. I think she a direct descendent of Cotton Mather.

Cotton Mather - snort!

sf, do try to follow the entire thread, not just my last comment. I was rebutting janicej's assertion that renting lodging in NYC is illegal, to wit:

>> renting lodging is not.

And btw, do bring the prostitution analogy to the proper authorities in NYC, and all over the world, why not? Air BnB has yet to lose a skirmish, but you guys could turn the tide!

It would be nice if someone wanted to seriously discuss the issues raised by the sharing economy, and by tech companies claiming that they provide apps, not services. I am actually not without ambivalence here. But all this "old ways were the best ways" fear-mogering is boring.

Air BnB and Uber and their ilk aren't the enemy, ossified thinking is. And these companies require innovative regulation, something the naysayers aren't capable of devising as far as I can see.

Will anyone respond substantively to what I just wrote? or will IMD just hurl another creepy dig at me? I know where my wager would go.

Newbe-Your passive/aggressive non-sense is getting old. You took offense at something that was not directed at you, and then you wah wah wah for a few postings. For once take responsibility for your words.

And while you were wah, wah, wahing, much was said in terms of the law.
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No zoning is not an issue. This is a LAW i New York State and covers the entire state. However, real estate issues are different in different areas. In the areas of NYC popular with tourists there are very few single family homes - it is almost all rental apt, co-ops or condos. So the effect is completely different in those areas than in areas with primarily single family homes owned by individuals.

And I'm not sure what "mogering" is. Could you possibly mean "mongering"?

And it has nothing to do with HOW the places are rented illegally - it's illegal if printed in a newspaper, listed online, posted on street corner signs or done through mass phone calls. The problem is the illegal sublet - not how it was advertised. By your reasoning internet child pornography would not be illegal since the purveyors are not sending out magazine or DVDs but are offering a child porno app to people to exchange their own favorites.

Last October the NYS AG issued a report regarding Airbnb here are two of the conclusions. They are copied verbatim


Gentrified neighborhoods account for vast majority of Airbnb revenue: Bookings in just three Manhattan neighborhoods – Greenwich Village/SoHo, Chelsea/Hell’s Kitchen and Lower East Side/Chinatown – accounted for more than 40% of hosts’ revenue, or about $187 million. By contrast, all reservations in Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island combined brought in $12 million, less than 3% of the New York City total.

Short-term rentals are displacing long-term housing options: In 2013, more than 4,600 units were booked for at least three months of the year. Of these, nearly 2,000 were booked for a cumulative total of six months or more, rendering them largely unavailable for use by long-term residents. Notably, the share of host revenue from units booked as short-term rentals for more than half the year increased steadily, accounting for 38% of the site’s revenue by 2013.
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It is a Manhattan issue where affordable apartments are at a minimum without the invasion of Airbnb.

I do have one another question for non-NY'ers. When people visit your town, do you like when they break the law, then leave?

"I do have one another question for non-NY'ers. When people visit your town, do you like when they break the law, then leave?"

Great point!

In answer to the last question, if by breaking the law you mean renting an apartment through airbnb, honestly, I couldn't care less. I'm glad they're here and spending their tourist dollars.