Airbnb’s attempts to fight the new law have so far failed. The company filed a lawsuit against New York City in June, but a judge threw out the case in August, ruling that the restrictions were “entirely rational.” Airbnb has not said whether it will appeal the decision. Hosts are also fighting for the right to classify their apartments as short-term stays by meeting with city officials to try to change the law.
The rules “deal a blow to the tourism economy and the thousands of New Yorkers and small businesses in the outer boroughs who rely on home sharing and tourism dollars to make ends meet,” says Theo Yedinsky , director of global policy at Airbnb. “The city is sending a clear message to the millions of potential visitors who will now have fewer lodging options when visiting New York: you are not welcome.” Yedinsky says Airbnb aims to work with the city on “reasonable” rules for home sharing, but he did not elaborate on the company’s next steps.
This change will make short-term rentals “much less attractive” for many people coming to New York, says Sean Hennessey, a professor at New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality. And in a city where hotel rooms are small and expensive, it could “make the city a little less accessible.”
There are currently more than 40,000 Airbnbs in New York, according to Inside Airbnb, which tracks listings on the platform. As of June, 22,434 of them were short-term rentals, defined as accommodations that can be booked for less than 30 days. Many Airbnbs are concentrated around downtown Manhattan, along the Upper East Side, as well as in Williamsburg and Park Slope in Brooklyn. Although the number of rentals may be small compared to New York City’s population of 8 million, Murray Cox, founder of Inside Airbnb, says some desirable neighborhoods are too crowded with short-term rentals. term, which can lead to a housing shortage and higher rents. The new law could, in theory, open these homes to local residents. New York City is facing a housing shortage that has led to rising rents and rates of homelessness.
The law’s implementation shows “very clearly that you can reduce short-term rentals,” says Cox, who was part of the Coalition Against Illegal Hotels, a group that advocated for the registration law . “You can hold these platforms accountable. »
