After Airbnb lawsuit, NYC delays short-term rental registration deadline

Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky

Published Jun 6, 2023

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Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky

Published Jun 6, 2023

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New York City is delaying a long-awaited rental registration rule for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals — again.

The change comes just days after Airbnb and a trio of hosts filed lawsuits against the city’s Office of Special Enforcement, which is tasked with enforcing the new rule.

The registration requirement, known as Local Law 18, requires that New Yorkers register their vacation rentals with the city if they’re offering them to guests for stays of less than 30 days. Full-apartment listings, which are a popular choice for travelers, are illegal under New York state’s multiple dwelling law and would be blocked from registering. The change could affect as many as 10,000 illegal short-term rentals, according to City Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who co-sponsored the legislation.

Attorneys for Airbnb and the hosts allege that the registration rules are overly complex and violate hosts’ privacy because of the personal information that’s required, including the number of people living in the home who are unrelated to the registrant. They also require hosts to rectify all building code violations.

The plaintiffs called for a stop to the rules before enforcement began. OSE originally planned to start enforcing the new rules in May. It first postponed the deadline to July before putting it off once more to Sept. 5.

In an email sent to hosts Thursday afternoon, Airbnb applauded the change, noting that the July 1 enforcement deadline would have taken thousands of listings off the market right at the height of the summer travel season.

“We are happy to report that the summer bookings of guests and Hosts will not be affected,” the email says.

“Our hope is that prior to September 5, the City will accept our invitation to work together to find sensible solutions that allow regular New Yorkers to share their home,” the email continues. “If not, please be assured that we will continue to support Hosts and fight to prevent the elimination of the short-term rental market in New York City.”

Linda Ortiz, an Airbnb host, said the update was “great news.”

“[It] buys the homeowners more time to organize,” she said. Ortiz and other hosts are asking the city to amend the rule to allow short-term rentals by individual homeowners, as opposed to large scale Airbnb operations with dozens of listings.

Airbnb and the Office of Special Enforcement did not return requests for comment prior to publication.

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