TechDigits

Tech news
Friday, Mar 31, 2023

A New York City Airbnb has nearly $1M in fines. It hasn't paid any of them, new Bloomberg report says

A New York City Airbnb has nearly $1M in fines. It hasn't paid any of them, new Bloomberg report says

A home in Flushing, Queens, has accumulated nearly $1M in fines for its illegal use as an Airbnb. Now the city is trying to listings just like it.
A New York City home has accumulated nearly $1 million in fines over its illegal use as an Airbnb for years. It's just one of thousands like it.

The home in Flushing, Queens, has been on the city's radar for years, according to a new Bloomberg report, because it illegally housed people in its basement and attic. It has accumulated complaints, violations, and an order to vacate part of the building.

According to Bloomberg, it racked up more fines than nearly any other Airbnb in the city in 2021, and defaulted on more than $984,000 in penalties. The homeowner still hasn't paid those fines, Bloomberg reported.

The house sits at the center of a debate in New York between Airbnb, its hosts, and existing — and pending — short-term rental rules in the city.

Under a new law that goes into effect this spring, short-term rental hosts will have to register with the city, and Airbnb and companies like it won't be allowed to collect booking fees on unregistered properties, Bloomberg reported.

Hosts will have to submit several documents to the city, including a diagram with exit routes, proof the host is a resident of the building, and the number of non-host residents in the building.

For Airbnb and many of its short-term rental hosts, the rules pose a threat to the bottom line.

"Regular New Yorkers should be able to share their home and not be targeted by the city at a time when many families are trying to keep up with the rising cost of living," Nathan Rotman, Airbnb's regional public policy lead, told Bloomberg. "The rules as currently written will prevent the vast majority of New Yorkers from listing their homes, and we urge the administration to work with our host community to support a regulatory framework that helps responsible Hosts and targets illegal hotel operators."

But the city argues that short-term rentals deplete housing stock and push up costs for residents, according to Bloomberg. The city already cracked down on rentals in some cases: In July, Mayor Eric Adams' administration filed a lawsuit to shut down an illegal short-term rental operation.

"Safe, stable, and affordable housing is fundamental to a prosperous city, so we will not allow bad actors to deplete our housing stock and undermine our hospitality sector," Adams said in a press release.

The mayor also blamed fake host profiles on sites like Airbnb used "to deceive and lure unsuspecting guests into paying for substandard lodging at illegal rental listings."

The Queens home is in good company, Bloomberg reported. Of the 29,000 short-term rental listings in the city, about a third of them are listed illegally, according to the Adams administration.

But, even with a large portion of problematic listings and a growing pile of fines, experts say Airbnb hosts can't hide from regulations forever.

"If you're going to be a legitimate ongoing business concern you can't do this," Chris Slowik, a property lawyer and partner at Klein Slowik PLLC, told Bloomberg.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TechDigits
Close
0:00
0:00
China and Brazil have signed a new deal that will allow them to trade in their own currencies, bypassing the US dollar as an intermediary
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
U.S. charges FTX's Bankman-Fried with paying $40 million bribe
Fallen 'Crypto King' Who Owes Millions to Investors Was Kidnapped and Tortured
Regulators blame social media for SVB's rapid collapse: 'Complete game changer'
AOC explains why she opposes banning TikTok
Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel Corporation, died at 94
Donald Trump arrested – Twitter goes wild with doctored pictures
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
A brief banking situation report
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
The desk of King Carlos Alberto of Sardinia has many secret compartments
Charlie Munger, calls for a ban on cryptocurrencies in the US, following China's lead
First generation unopened iPhone set to fetch more than $50,000 at auction.
Almost 30% of professionals say they've tried ChatGPT at work
Interpol seeks woman who ran elaborate exam cheating scam in Singapore
What is ChatGPT?
Tesla reported record profits and record revenues for 2022
Microsoft is finalising plans to become the latest technology giant to reduce its workforce during a global economic slowdown
Tesla slashes prices globally by as much as 20 percent
After Failing To Pay Office Rent, Twitter May Sell User Names
FTX fraud investigators are digging deeper into Sam Bankman-Fried's inner circle – and reportedly have ex-engineer Nishad Singh in their sights
TikTok CEO Plans to Meet European Union Regulators
U.S. Moves to Seize Robinhood Shares, Silvergate Accounts Tied to FTX
Coinbase to Pay $100 Million in Settlement With New York Regulator
FTX assets worth $3.5bn held by Bahamas securities regulator
Former FTX CEO Bankman-Fried finally arrested in Bahamas after U.S. files charges
Corruption works: House Financial Services Chair Waters doesn't plan to subpoena her donor, Sam Bankman-Fried, to testify at hearing on FTX collapse
Yellen hints at ‘national security’ probe into Twitter purchase
Elon Musk reinstates Donald Trump's Twitter account.
George W. Bush and Barack Obama will hold back-to-back disinformation conferences
Solar + Powerwall ensures you never lose power, even if the grid goes down
This man paid for strangers' grocery and it moved them to tears
Meta introduces a new version of Mark Zuckerberg
Virtual Reality on billboards: BMW advertisement on Times Square
Apple CEO Tim Cook says coding should be taught as early as elementary school: 'It's the most important language you can learn'
Apple Executive Resigns After Viral TikTok Shows Him Making Crude Jokes
Huawei is not only better technology, but also protecting users better: Apple Warns Of Security Flaw For Iphones, Ipads And Macs
Mark Zuckerberg warns many teams will ‘shrink’ as Meta revenue drops
Elon Musk reportedly begged for forgiveness after his affair with Google co-founder Sergey Brin's wife
×