In New York City, officials are cracking down on listings on Airbnb, a short-term rental site, and issued a summons to the owner of a condominium at Trump Tower.
The owner, Lena Yelagina, received the summons for illegally advertising the listing for rent, according to an article by Eli Rosenberg for The New York Times.
The article explained the apartment was available on Airbnb for at least six months in the time before, during and after the presidential election, and the owner will be fined $1,000.
From the article:
The listing, which gave hints but did not explicitly advertise that it was located in Trump Tower, was taken down in early March in the weeks after a New York Times reporter made a reservation with the goal of staying there. It had been available for about $300 to $450 a night for stays as short as three nights.
It has been illegal since 2010 to rent out most apartments in New York if the owner is not present for less than 30 days.
“We will continue to crack down on those who profit by turning permanent housing into de facto hotel rooms,” said Melissa Grace, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio.
While renting out most apartments has been illegal for several years, new legislation passed last year makes it easier to regulate Airbnb listings. Now, even advertising the listings, not just listing them, is illegal.
Since the new law began being enforced in February, the city has issued 65 violations to nine hosts, according to the article.
Airbnb provides many options for tourists looking to experience a city for a few days, however the housing industry continues to fight back, saying many homeowners are choosing to use their homes as short-term rentals rather than allowing them to circulate on the housing market.
HousingWire readers saw the disruption Airbnb is causing to the New Orleans housing market in the magazine’s September edition.
