New York City Law Would Curb Illegal Hotel Conversions

New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan (Brooklyn), pens an opinion piece that calls attention to the role of short-term rental services like Airbnb in the housing affordability crisis in the city of New York.

Brannan writes to tout a new law written to provide expanded powers of regulation over short-term regulation companies.

…the New York City Council, under the leadership of Speaker Corey Johnson, will introduce a bill, sponsored by my colleague Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, that will enact municipal oversight of short-term residential rentals. Rivera’s bill will require monthly reporting to the Office of Special Enforcement by companies that offer a booking platform for short-term rentals in the five boroughs. This bill will provide the city with concrete data for use in housing market analysis and the ability to identify landlords who may be withholding affordable units in order to offer them as unlicensed hotels.

According to Brannan, the law responds to an increasing number of "professional landlords who have converted their homes into completely illegal hotels." These illegal hotels bring public safety concerns, a stream of itinerant visitors with no investment in the neighborhood, and higher rents, according to Brannan's argument.