New York City began implementing a series of restrictions on short-term rentals on Tuesday, which Airbnb considers a "de facto" ban on its business.
The new regulations require all hosts to register with local authorities, and New York also prohibits renting entire apartments for less than 30 days when the owners are not present, something that this type of business often does not respect.
“The city is sending a clear message to the millions of potential visitors who will now have fewer options for accommodation in New York: they are not welcome,” Airbnb’s global policy director, Theo Yedinsky, said in a statement shared with EFE.
A spokesperson for the platform also explained that New York's regulations are an anomaly even among cities that have decided to regulate tourist apartments, such as Los Angeles or San Francisco, which do allow hosts to offer their apartment without being present.
He also argued that Airbnb has been trying for years to work with authorities to address the problem of illegal apartments, but that the city has decided to pass “new rules that create a de facto ban on short-term rentals.”.
The spokesperson questioned whether the measures would help reduce rental prices in the Big Apple, which is experiencing a housing crisis. She also pointed out that no single city accounts for more than 1.5% of Airbnb's revenue, not even New York, where more than 40,000 vacation rentals are offered.
In June, Airbnb sued the city and succeeded in delaying the implementation of the restrictions for a few months, as the regulations were scheduled to begin on July 1.
However, a judge dismissed the lawsuit last month, ruling that it is "rational" for authorities to want to control the legality of the apartments being offered.
In a message on its website, the tourist accommodation platform regrets that its request was dismissed, and reminds its hosts that from today they have two options: register with the authorities or increase the time they offer their accommodations to more than 30 days.
According to The New York Times, the city estimates that about 10,000 Airbnb apartments in 2022 were fraudulent.
As in other cities around the world under tourist pressure, New York authorities believe that this proliferation of tourist apartments contributes to rising rental prices for permanent residents and exacerbates the city's housing crisis.
Despite the news, Airbnb shares on the New York Stock Exchange were up 7% half an hour after trading began.
With information from EFE.
Cover photo: AP.
