Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC Has Only Fined A Small Number Of Potentially Illegal Airbnb Units
By
David Colon
Published May 11, 2017
Modified May 11, 2017
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
David Colon
Published May 11, 2017
Modified May 11, 2017
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
Despite a huge number of potentially illegal home-share listings around the city, and a new law that allows the mayor's office to punish violators who advertise complete home rentals for fewer than 30 days, only a tiny fraction of the violators have actually been hit with fines, according to a new report.
Crain's took a look at the numbers of fines given out versus the number of Airbnb listings that appear to violate the new law prohibiting advertising short-term rentals and found that it would only take the city... 43 years to punish every person violating the law at the rate they're going.
According to Crain's, just 139 out of a potential 23,639 illegally advertised Airbnb units have actually been hit with $1,000 fines by the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement. While Crain's notes that some of the listings could be for units that are in buildings exempted from the law, like single-family homes, there is still a sizable number of properties that would most likely run afoul of the law.
"The city has a powerful tool to crack down on illegal hotel operators in the law I passed last year," Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal told Gothamist in a statement. "Considering the enormous number of illegal listings, the City is faced with a daunting task. While enforcement was off to a slow start, the City recognizes the depth of the affordability crisis we face, and has begun to hire more staff to shut down illegal hotels and restore apartments to the housing market. Wouldn't it all be easier if Airbnb finally just agreed to stop listing illegal apartment rentals on its site?"
"The decision to regulate home sharing by type of building is flawed and unfairly targets working New Yorkers," an Airbnb spokesperson told Gothamist. "Alternatively, we support a common sense solution that cracks down on bad actors and guarantees safe environments for guests and hosts."
Airbnb also claims that they don't keep track of which types of homes are listed on their service, so they can't say for sure how many of the listings are actually illegally advertised multiple dwelling units.
"The data shows how deceptive Airbnb was from the beginning, and how big the problem was," Council Member Jumaane Williams, a frequent Airbnb critic, told Gothamist. "So my hope is we'll be able to get more resources from the city to go after egregious actors, particularly in this affordable housing crunch. They just put their put their platform out time and time and time again and think they don't have to abide by local laws."
Melissa Grace, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio, tells us the city is cracking down on violators. "New Yorkers who rent their home must follow the law, and we will continue to go after those who take affordable housing off the market, disturb their neighbors, and put guests at risk," Grace said. "We have issued more than $280,000 in fines in three months under a tough new State law, and won’t hesitate to continue protecting New York City’s housing stock."
But for now, at least, there are still plenty of opportunities for Airbnb ragers.
Tagged
airbnb
David Colon
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Acclaimed NJ distillery is leaving for NY, as the Garden State industry pleads for reform
All Points West Distillery in Newark says a planned move to the Hudson Valley is unavoidable due to regulations strangling the industry.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Sep 5, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Why NY judges oppose bill to make safety top priority in child custody battles
Judges say a bill would have unintended consequences and make their workloads untenable.
By
Jimmy Vielkind
News
Why NY judges oppose bill to make safety top priority in child custody battles
Judges say a bill would have unintended consequences and make their workloads untenable.
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Federal court dismisses Trump DOJ’s lawsuit over ICE activity in NJ
By
Giulia Heyward
Did violence in Times Square and on the Brooklyn Bridge change how people feel about NYC?
By
Willow Higgins
and
Brittany Kriegstein
Mount Sinai reaches deal with Trump DOJ to end gender-affirming care for minors
By
Giulia Heyward
and
Caroline Lewis
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 .