Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
New Report Says More Than Half Of NYC's Airbnb Listings Are Illegal Under New Law
By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Oct 29, 2016
Modified Oct 29, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Airbnb
By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Oct 29, 2016
Modified Oct 29, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
More than half of the New York City listings on Airbnb violate the new law banning advertisements for short-term rentals on the home-sharing website, according to a new analysis released on Friday.
An analysis by data research firm ValuePenguin, 57 percent of Airbnb's NYC listings are for short-term rentals for entire apartments. As of last week, it's illegal to advertise entire apartments on Airbnb for rentals that are less than 30 days. It was already illegal to rent entire apartments on Airbnb for less than 30 days (although this happened anyway).
Violators can be fined up to $7,500 for flouting the new law on multiple occasions—fines for first- and second-time offenders are $1,000 and $5,000 respectively—and lawmakers said the law is intended to target large-scale illegal hotel operators who are taking apartments off the market, not tenants who occasionally rent out their own homes.
ValuePenguin's analysis found that gentrifying neighborhoods are rife with illegal listings—according to the site, East Williamsburg has 314 full apartment listings that could net upwards of $2 million in fines, and there are 214 illegal listings in Gramercy, Greenwich Village, and the East Village that could net an additional $1.6 million in fines.
Avkash Kana, an Airbnb host who recently advertised his East Harlem apartment on the site, told the Post he was "outraged" he may have to pay steep fines before attracting a single tenant.
"I haven't even done anything, and according to these laws I've already done something illegal," he said. "So how does that work? If I post something on a blog and mention Airbnb, are you going to say that's illegal and has to be taken down? These laws are a complete violation of our freedom of speech."
The new regulations are complaint-based, meaning officials from the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement will only be made aware of lawbreakers that are reported to them by residents. The OSE won't be combing through Airbnb's listings to find potential violators, and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal has said the OSE "weren't set up to pick off individual tenants."
Tagged
affordable housing crisis
airbnb
valuepenguin
Gaby Del Valle
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani names re-entry specialist as chair of Rikers oversight board
Christopher Watler will help the department that a federal monitor says remains in crisis.
By
Ryan Kost
Published Oct 6, 2026 at 3:52 p.m. ET
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
NYC weighs expanding upstate reservoir following drought
The Delaware River Basin Commission is evaluating options to increase water storage, including expanding a reservoir in New York City.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Legionella found in Staten Island building's water system after 2 positive cases
By
Catalina Gonella
Legal 'loophole' helps NY Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bruce Blakeman raise millions
By
Jon Campbell
Police identify 2 men wanted for stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .