Airbnb

Airbnb is responsible for the loss of between 7,000 and 13,500 long-term rental units in New York City while increasing the median long-term rent in the city by $380 a year, says a new report from McGill University. The study, commissioned by the union Hotel Trades Council, also found 87 percent of entire-home reservations are considered illegal under state law (h/t Politico NY). Mayor Bill de Blasio last year announced his plan to expand the city's Office of Special Enforcement to crack down on illegal short-term rentals; it is illegal for NYC landlords to rent entire apartments for fewer than 30 days.
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October 11, 2017

Asking $325/night, this secluded Catskills treehouse may be one of the coolest vacation escapes ever

If you're looking for an escape, it doesn't get much better than this modern treehouse, nestled among the natural surroundings of the Catskills. This is the work of the UK-based designer Antony Gibbons, who believes the angular lines and pronounced geometry of the structure enhance the organic nature of this forested locale, just outside of Woodstock, New York. Despite the modern aesthetic, the facade is made of cedar from the surrounding Catskills Valley and the interior is lined in a reclaimed pine, in so that the modest home "still blends into the surroundings with its timber materials," Gibbons has said. If you're swooning over the space--and wondering what it's like to live among the trees--it's now available as a vacation home through Airbnb, asking $325 per night.
Imagine your upstate vacation

Sarah Jessica Parker to lead NYC shoe-shopping tour for Airbnb

Bloomingdales via Wiki Commons; Sarah Jessica Parker via Wiki Commons

September 25, 2017

Sarah Jessica Parker to lead NYC shoe-shopping tour for Airbnb

If there are two things Sarah Jessica Parker loves they're New York City and shoes, and she's now teamed up with Airbnb (yes, you read that right) to share her combined passions with the general public. Last year, the home sharing company launched its Social Impact Experiences, nonprofit-led tours and excursions for which the proceeds go back to the host organization, and recently, they expanded the program in NYC to feature celebrity-hosted events. Parker's October 6th experience--Sole of the City with SJP--will have only four open spots, each for $400 (h/t NYP). Guests will join the actress at Bloomingdales, where they'll get a pair of shoes from her collection that's sold there, eat frozen yogurt at the department store's Forty Carrots, and then head to Lincoln Center for the New York City Ballet. SJP is an NYC Ballet board member and the proceeds will benefit the dance company.
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Refugees are renting out Trump’s childhood home during this week’s UN General Assembly

Photo courtesy of Laffey Fine Homes from a previous listing

September 18, 2017

Refugees are renting out Trump’s childhood home during this week’s UN General Assembly

With President Donald Trump back in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly this week, a group of refugees is staying at the president’s childhood home, renting the Queens property through Airbnb. The Jamacia Estates home at 85-15 Wareham Place is being rented by Oxfam, an anti-poverty organization, to bring attention to the refugee crisis (h/t NY Post). The group invited four refugees to talk with journalists at the rental, highlighting their concern with Trump’s travel ban on people from six Muslim-majority countries and all refugees that was introduced in January. After facing multiple legal challenges, the Supreme Court allowed the refugee policy to remain temporarily, but justices will hear arguments about the travel ban on Oct. 10.
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‘NoiseAware’ sensors alert landlords when tenants are too loud

Photo via NoiseAware

August 11, 2017

‘NoiseAware’ sensors alert landlords when tenants are too loud

As the number of short-term rentals skyrockets across the country so does the chance of noisy tenants, and with that, complaints from neighbors. A new startup has developed a way for property owners to become more courteous neighbors. NoiseAware, founded by two short term rental managers, developed noise-tracking software that distinguishes noise from true nuisance and alerts landlords with a text message when it violates the threshold (h/t Fast Co.Design). Users of the software, what the company calls a "smoke detector for noise," can customize quiet hours, the noise threshold and alert preferences.
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City Living

Donald Trump’s childhood home in Queens is renting for $725/night on Airbnb

Photo courtesy of Laffey Fine Homes from a previous listing

August 9, 2017

Donald Trump’s childhood home in Queens is renting for $725/night on Airbnb

President Trump, who is currently in New Jersey on a 17-day vacation, announced that he will travel to Trump Tower this Sunday. While his Midtown penthouse will be getting a lot of attention this weekend, his childhood home in Queens is also making headlines. The home at 85-15 Wareham Place is up for rent on Airbnb, according to a recent listing on the company’s website (h/t NY Post). The modest Tudor style home in Jamaica Estates is listed for as much as $725 per night. The home features five bedrooms, sleeps 20 people, and includes a life-size cut out of POTUS in the living room. Even though the president only lived there until he was four years old, according to the listing, “this is a unique and special opportunity to stay in the home of a sitting president.”
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Celebrities

June 13, 2017

New hotline lets tenants report illegal Airbnb listings

In an attempt to crack down on illegal short-term rentals, Mayor de Blasio’s budget for the fiscal year 2018 allocates $1.6 million to expand the city’s Office of Special Enforcement, the department that inspects and fines landlords who rent entire apartments for fewer than 30 days. Adding to these efforts, an anti-Airbnb coalition made up of public officials and housing organizations/unions created a hotline for New York City tenants to report any illegal rentals, as reported by the Daily News. Beginning today, ShareBetter will start receiving actionable complaints.
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Policy

May 11, 2017

It would take the city 43 years to investigate all potentially illegal Airbnb listings

While the state’s updated anti-Airbnb bill has now been in effect for three months, the city has issued fines on just 139 illegal listings, out of the nearly 24,000 that reportedly need to be investigated. The recently enacted legislation builds on the state’s 2010 law that makes it illegal to rent out an apartment for less than 30 days without the owner present. The new law goes further by making it illegal to advertise these short-term rentals through websites like Airbnb. As Crain’s explains, based on the number of listings on the company’s website, it would take the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement nearly 43 years to investigate all of them.
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Policy

De Blasio’s new budget boosts funding for anti-Airbnb enforcement

With the announcement of Mayor de Blasio’s new executive budget on Wednesday, the shaky relationship between the short-term rental company Airbnb and New York City continues. As reported by Crain’s, the city plans to crack down on illegal short-term rentals by spending an extra $2.9 million over the next two fiscal years. For the fiscal year 2018, the mayor plans to pour $1.6 million into expanding the city’s Office of Special Enforcement, which inspects and fines landlords who rent entire apartments out for fewer than 30 days.
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Policy

April 17, 2017

The hotel industry prepares a national fight against Airbnb

With its value nearing $30 billion dollars, it’s hard to deny Airbnb’s influence and disruption in the American hotel industry. Since its founding in 2008, the short-term lodging company has serviced about 150 million travelers, in three million listings in more than 191 countries. And as the New York Times reported, the hotel industry has launched a plan to take action against the company’s growing market share. The plan includes a national campaign at the local, state and federal levels to counter Airbnb by lobbying politicians and attorneys general to reduce the number of Airbnb hosts and fund studies that show they do not collect hotel taxes and are not required to follow the same safety and security regulations that hotels must follow.
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April 11, 2017

Number of elderly Airbnb hosts jumps 60 percent in NYC

To make money and stay social after retirement, older New Yorkers are turning to Airbnb. According to a report by the company, the population of senior citizens hosting visitors through the website continues to grow faster than any other demographic in both New York State and City. The Daily News reports that in NYC, the number of elderly Airbnb hosts jumped 60 percent in the last year. Specifically, the Bronx saw a 120 percent leap and Queens a 199 percent increase. While this shows a clear boost, senior citizens still only make up about four percent of the city’s total listings, or about 1,043, up from 649 the year before.
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March 10, 2017

At $31B, Airbnb now second most valuable private company behind Uber

After raising an additional $1 billion in a financing round that began last summer, Airbnb, the short-term stay rental company, is now listed as the second most valuable private company in the United States, following Uber, the ride-hailing business, as the New York Times reported. Airbnb, based in San Francisco, has raised more than $3 billion and secured a $1 billion line of credit since the company was founded in 2008. It is now worth nearly $31 billion dollars.
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March 1, 2017

In black neighborhoods, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white

Watchdog group Inside Airbnb released a new report, which shows that across 72 predominantly African-American neighborhoods in New York City, 74 percent of Airbnb hosts are white--a startling figure considering only 14 percent of the total population in these areas is white. As outlined in the Daily News, these white hosts earned $160 million from Airbnb rentals, compared to just $48 million for black hosts.
Which neighborhoods are most affected

Uncategorized

December 5, 2016

Airbnb settles with NYC over $7,500 fines, how other cities are cracking down

After settling with New York state two weeks ago, Airbnb has now also dropped its case against the city, reports the Times. The company filed the lawsuits after Governor Cuomo passed a bill in October that would impose fines of up to $7,500 for illegal short-term rental listings--those rented out for fewer than 30 days without the lease holder present--on the site. The company agreed to settle on the grounds that the city only hold hosts responsible for the fines, not Airbnb. And they're facing similar situations in cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, and London, who will likely look to the New York case as they move forward with their own regulations.
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Policy

November 23, 2016

Airbnb settles suit against the state, but will continue to fight the city

When the state passed a bill in October that would impose fines of up to $7,500 on those who list illegal short-term rentals on Airbnb, the company fired back, filing a federal lawsuit on the grounds that the new law "would impose significant immediate burdens and irreparable harm on Airbnb." They've since withdrawn the suit against the state, reports the Journal, instead focusing their efforts on New York City, as they feel it's the city's jurisdiction under which these regulations fall and that they're violating Airbnb's First Amendment rights.
All the details

Policy

October 31, 2016

MAP: East Williamsburg would be fined the most by new Airbnb law

After Governor Cuomo recently signed into effect a bill that would impose fines of up to $7,500 on those offering illegal short-term Airbnb rentals, the company filed a federal lawsuit against the legislation, saying it would "impose significant immediate burdens and irreparable harm." And according to an analysis from ValuePenguin, shared by DNAinfo, it's East Williamsburg that would be hit the hardest by the new regulations. The personal finance website says that, as of October 1st, the neighborhood (zip code 11211) has 314 full apartment rental listings, which could result in $2,355,000 in fines. It's followed by zip code 10003, which covers parts of Greenwich Village, Gramercy, and the East Village, the Lower East Side (10002) and Chelsea (10011).
More data ahead

Policy

October 24, 2016

Airbnb files federal suit against Governor Cuomo’s $7,500 fines on illegal listings

Back in June, the NYC legislature passed a bill that would impose fines of up to $7,500 on those offering illegal short-term Airbnb rentals, and at the end of last week, Governor Cuomo signed the bill into effect, reports the Times. The new regulation piggybacks on what's been the state law since 2010--that apartments can't be rented out for less than 30 days if the lease holder isn't present. Despite the fact that a recent report estimates 56 percent of the site's 2015 listings fell into this category, Airbnb is taking aim against the Governor, filing a federal lawsuit that says the new law "would impose significant immediate burdens and irreparable harm on Airbnb."
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Policy

October 3, 2016

Escape to this Catskills school house for an idyllic upstate vacation

This historic, former school house is the perfect upstate escape, as it's nestled on five acres of land with access to a private river. Located between three different towns--Saugerties, Catskill and Hudson--the charming building has been comfortably renovated to hold up to four guests. The rustic interior boasts high cathedral ceilings over one big open room, while your surroundings include plenty of places to swim, hike and relax. If that sounds like a dream away from New York City, the property is rentable through Airbnb for $240 a night.
Go inside the school house

September 29, 2016

Brooklyn ‘eco triplex’ with natural swimming pool and green roof renting for $1,400/night

This Carroll Gardens townhouse may be the only one in Brooklyn that lays claim to a "natural" swimming pool in its backyard. It was renovated with eco-friendly features in mind and you can experience it yourself through Airbnb for $1,395 a night. Three floors overlook ecologically landscaped gardens and water features that include a natural pond with native fish and turtles. Atop the house is a green roof with its own pergola. And inside, the home is decked out with antique wood floors, clay walls, and large sunny rooms with views of the surrounding greenery.
Check out the interior

September 1, 2016

Victoria’s Secret model sued for misrepresenting her ‘comfortable spacious island retreat’ on Airbnb

By Metro New York

If you rent an apartment from a Victoria’s Secret model, you might expect some pretty posh digs, but one Airbnb customer is suing for the exact opposite. Christian Pugaczewski, a West Hollywood attorney with the New York-based firm Shearman & Sterling, rented a Roosevelt Island apartment from Lyndsey Scott, a Victoria’s Secret model in June. Pugaczewski […]

Uncategorized

August 31, 2016

Kim and Kanye now enjoying a $30M Tribeca pad for $0, courtesy of Airbnb

By Annie Doge

If you needed any more proof that Kim Kardashian is the Queen of Social Media, look no further than her latest Instagram post where she can be seen lounging on the cream couch of a $30 million Tribeca penthouse—the spread she and hubby Kanye will be living in for free through October. As 6sqft previously reported, the couple was in talks with Airbnb the last few months for a lavish pad that would be provided to them at no monetary cost, so long as Kim posted something on one of her many social media accounts about it. And lo and behold, as The Post first reports, Kim sealed the deal yesterday on Instagram with a sultry shot captioned with “Just checked into our NYC penthouse. Thanks @airbnb for the gift of our home away from home.”
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August 18, 2016

Stay in this demure off-grid cabin in the middle of the Catskills