Airbnb has become a common solution for renters and homeowners trying to offset living costs in expensive cities such as New York and San Francisco. In New York, however, state legislators are considering a bill that would bar Airbnb hosts from advertising short-term rentals unless the property complies with a 2010 hotel law, which requires lodging units to be rented for more than 30 days.
If enacted, New York would be the first state to adopt such a law, according to reporting in The New York Daily News.
Linda Rosenthal, the bill’s sponsor, told the Daily News that the legislation is aimed primarily at commercial operators. “What this bill is targeting is people or companies with multiple listings,” she said. “There are so many units held by commercial operators, not individual tenants. They are bad actors who hoard multiple units, driving up the cost of housing around them and across the city.”
Under the proposed law, landlords would be required to inform tenants about the risks associated with short-term rentals. Landlords or hosts who violate the rule could face fines of up to $7,500 per violation.
An Airbnb spokesperson criticized the measure, arguing that lawmakers should pursue “common-sense changes that help middle-class families who share the home in which they live and depend on Airbnb to pay the bills.”