NYC Strictly Limits Short-Term Rentals

Airbnb called the new regulations, which limit rentals to two guests and require owner occupancy, a ‘de facto ban’ for most hosts.

2 minute read

September 7, 2023, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction

Close-up of hand holding phone with AIrbnb app open to New York City listings

RightFramePhotoVideo / Adobe Stock

A new law that went into effect in New York City this week, Local Law 18, will eliminate thousands of short-term rental units from the city, reports Amanda Hoover in Wired.

As Hoover explains, the law “is so strict it doesn’t just limit how Airbnb operates in the city—it almost bans it entirely for many guests and hosts. From now on, all short-term rental hosts in New York must register with the city, and only those who live in the place they’re renting—and are present when someone is staying—can qualify.” The law also limits hosts to two guests, eliminating the potential for hosting groups or families.

Critics of short-term rentals say the industry removes badly needed housing units from the long-term rental market and can bring noise, crime, and higher costs to neighborhoods. But the move could also make the city far less accessible to visitors. “Compounding the sudden shortage of Airbnbs in New York is another piece of the new law that allows landlords to ban entire buildings from short-term rental platforms.”

Advocacy group Restore Homeowner Autonomy and Rights is calling on the city to remove the capacity limits for smaller landlords who occupy their homes, arguing that many mom-and-pop hosts don’t fall into the same category as institutional landlords.