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New Airbnb Data Shows Most NYC Hosts Are Breaking The Law
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 1, 2015
Modified Dec 1, 2015
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 1, 2015
Modified Dec 1, 2015
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Pressured to prove that Airbnb isn't robbing New York City of affordable housing and turning buildings in popular neighborhoods into international party hostels, the company released data today that is much less dire than a report issued by New York Attorney General from roughly a year ago, though it appears that most Airbnb hosts in the city are breaking state law.
The AG's report stated that from 2010 through early June of 2014, $168.3 million, or 37% of revenue generated by Airbnb hosts, came from hosts with three or more listings.
According to Airbnb's numbers, from November of 2014 through November of this year, only 6% of host revenue came from those who had three or more listings.
The median amount made by Airbnb hosts over the past year was $5,110; hosts in "Outer Manhattan" made the most, at $6,558, followed by "Central Manhattan" ($5,445) and Staten Island ($5,221), despite there being only 200 listings in the borough to Outer Manhattan's 13,400.
The data, which can be inspected if you make an appointment at Airbnb's New York City offices, states that 55% of Airbnb's users are renting out their entire apartments while they're gone, rather than a single room when they're present, which for most residents against the law.
In a release, Share Better, the group that's extremely critical of Airbnb that includes city and state elected officials, as well at the Metropolitan Council On Housing, called the company's release a "whitewash."
"By Airbnb's own analysis they’re admitting most of their revenue comes from illegal home rentals that take precious housing units away from regular everyday New Yorkers," the release states.
A spokesperson for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said their office had no comment on the numbers.
"There are a lot of misconceptions about home sharing and what it means to be a host," the company said in a release to its users. "This anonymized data makes clear that Airbnb is a platform that real New Yorkers depend on to pay the bills and stay in their homes, and not a platform for illegal hotels."
Councilmember Helen Rosenthal, a member of Share Better, said in a statement, "We met with Airbnb today, and they refused to disclose specific, actionable data. Airbnb only provided 'anonymized' data of its users who break the law—in other words, a useless disclosure that will do nothing to curb illegal hotels and tenant harassment."
At a City Council hearing last month, an Airbnb representative told officials that their critique of the company was an "attack on the middle class." Councilmember and Housing and Buildings Committee Chair Jumaane Williams stated at the hearing that the City was concerned with commercial operators using Airbnb, not casual users: "We are not trying to go after a grandma who rents on the weekend to go on vacation."
You can see the selected data here.
Tagged
affordable housing
affordable housing crisis
it's not "sharing" if you have to pay for it
sharing economy
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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