New New York City rules on Airbnbs and short-term rentals went into effect on Tuesday, with tens of thousands of illegal short-term listings expected to be affected.
The new legislation bulks up enforcement of existing rules on how short-term rentals are allowed to operate. Passed in January, the measure known as Local Law 18 mandates that short-term rental hosts register with city government.
“Registration creates a clear path for hosts who follow the city’s longstanding laws and protects travelers from illegal and unsafe accommodations, while ending the proliferation of illegal short-term rentals,” Christian Klossner, of the New York City mayor’s office of special enforcement, said in a statement to the Guardian.
Klossner’s office is overseeing implementation of the new rules. It said the city will spend time working with platforms to use its verification process.
Legal short-term rentals are properties with no more than two people hosted. The host has to reside in the dwelling unit, and guests must have access to all parts of the home.
Under the tighter regulations, eligible hosts must prove they live in the dwelling they are renting out and that the home is up to municipal safety codes and other regulatory requirements. Hosts in violation of the new legislation could face fines from $1,000 to $5,000.
Platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo are required to make sure anyone using their platform in New York follows city rules.
There are currently more than 40,000 Airbnb listings in New York, according to Inside Airbnb, a housing advocacy group that tracks listings in US and world cities.
“In New York City, residential apartments should be for residential use,” Murray Cox of Inside Airbnb told the Associated Press.
The latest regulations are expected to dramatically shrink the number of available listings.
Supporters of the new law have long pushed for tighter regulation of Airbnb in New York and other cities, especially amid New York’s housing shortage. Those living near short-term rentals complain that the dwellings bring disruption to local communities, including noise, parties and pollution.
Hosts have rejected the enforcement and said that the most recent crackdown could hurt families attempting to make ends meet by renting out their homes.
Theo Yedinsky, the global policy director for Airbnb, said the latest enforcement would harm the New York tourist economy.
“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,” he said.
Speaking to the AP, Yedinsky added: “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.’”
Other US cities have severely restricted Airbnbs. Santa Monica, California, banned renting apartments for less than 30 days, the Los Angeles Times reported, in addition to implementing other rules to regulate short-term dwellings.
Philadelphia has also passed restrictions on short-term rental sites, removing unlicensed short-term dwellings from Airbnb and other platforms.
