Mayor's office steps up enforcement of illegal NYC Airbnb rentals

Mayor Eric Adams’ Office of Special Enforcement has warned short-term rental hosts on Airbnb and other online platforms that it will step up enforcement against what it called “deceptive” tactics to skirt short-term rental regulations.

That includes hosts advertising entire apartments for short-term stays and for more than two guests at a time.

Hosts that break the rules could face fines of up to $5,000 or revocation of their registrations for operating short-term rentals in their homes. The added level of scrutiny is the next step in a new enforcement regime that began with a 2023 law that sought to limit the negative impact of short-term rentals on the city’s housing market, Adams said.

“We are committed to protecting New York City’s housing stock for the people who call this city home — not for those seeking to profit at the expense of our communities,” the mayor said in a public statement. “Illegal short-term rentals reduce the supply of permanent housing, drive up rents and threaten the stability and affordability of our neighborhoods.”

About 500 Airbnb hosts received warning letters Wednesday night, according to the Office of Special Enforcement. That is about a fifth of all hosts permitted by the city. The agency also sent five hosts notices that their registrations would be revoked.

Local Law 18, which went into effect two years ago, requires Airbnb hosts to register with the city if they plan to rent space in their homes for less than 30 days. It also prohibits renting out entire apartments for less than 30 days and limits the number of guests to two for short-term rentals.

“We will continue to go out of our way to help hosts comply with the law — but we are moving on to a new stage of enforcement for those who do not,” said Christian Klossner, executive director of the Office of Special Enforcement.

Airbnb’s policy strategy director, Nathan Rothman, said in a statement that the company works to ensure hosts understand their obligations. But Airbnb’s public policy manager, Alain Xiong-Calmes, also described Local Law 18 as “overly stringent.” He cited a company report showing that increased regulation of short-term rentals has not helped New York City’s housing costs.

Klossner cast doubt on Airbnb’s findings.

“[Office of Special Enforcement] is not aware of any independent peer-reviewed analysis that corroborates these industry figures,” he told Gothamist in a statement. “However, the decrease in listings reflects the wide-scale elimination of illegal activity that should not have been occurring in the first place.”