NYC vs AirBNB vol. Banned camp in 5 boros.

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New York cracks down on Airbnb

By Sara Ashley O'Brien October 21, 2016 18:09PM EDT
Airbnb just got dealt a major blow in one of its top markets: New York.
On Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that makes it illegal for people to list entire apartments on Airbnb and similar sites for periods of less than 30 days. The new law imposes fines of up to $7,500 for violating it.
The bill, which Airbnb has fought strongly, had been sitting with Cuomo for several months. It took effect immediately.

The law's proponents say it is aimed at people who use Airbnb to effectively turn their homes into hotels -- and thus take potential rental housing off the market and deny cities tax revenue.
"This is an issue that was given careful, deliberate consideration, but ultimately these activities are already expressly prohibited by law," Cuomo spokeman Rich Azzopardi said.
But Airbnb released data in July showing that 96% of its hosts listing apartments in New York City have only one listing and that most are sharing their space infrequently.
The company swiftly filed a lawsuit challenging the new law.
In its complaint, Airbnb argues that the New York law violates a federal law by holding Airbnb liable for hosting third-party rental listings on its platform. Airbnb also says the new law violates the First Amendment rights of the company and its hosts.
"A majority of New Yorkers have embraced home sharing, and we will continue to fight for a smart policy solution that works for the the people, not the powerful," Airbnb said.
40 tech heavyweights had sent a plea to Cuomo in August clear message: Veto that Airbnb bill.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/21/technology/airbnb-new-york/
 
Tech is really disrupting everything.

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effectively turn their homes into hotels -- and thus take potential rental housing off the market and deny cities tax revenue.
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Isn't that the point of AirbNb? 95% of what's out there are second homes for people who may not be using their home for 3 months during the summer, so its basically a hotel for 90 days. Any tourist spot especially in the NE are full of these second homes from rich folks who rent out their property for a quarter of the year (or longer).

I don't get what the difference between that and NYCs issues are
 
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This also happened in Berlin, Germany. I had absolutely no idea it wasn't allowed, but I booked an apartment for 2 weeks. I found it on the website so I thought it was fine :lol:

Then once I get there, get a message from the owner telling me not to tell anyone in the building about my stay through the website if someone asks, since airbnb is a hot topic. Did some research after she said that and found out it was not allowed anymore
 
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Ban VoIP already.

Insert any new tech vs. legacy industry...

The law's proponents say it is aimed at people who use [the Internet] to effectively turn their [computers] into [telephones]-- and thus take potential [revenue] away from telecoms.
 
New york being New york, I bet hotels helped pass this law-theydont want nothing Airbnb in NY and lose their profits.


Look at Uber...
 
Not that I'll ever have a need for an AirBnb here but that's a silly crackdown in this day and age.
 
effectively turn their homes into hotels -- and thus take potential rental housing off the market and deny cities tax revenue.

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Isn't that the point of AirbNb? 95% of what's out there are second homes for people who may not be using their home for 3 months during the summer, so its basically a hotel for 90 days. Any tourist spot especially in the NE are full of these second homes from rich folks who rent out their property for a quarter of the year (or longer).

I don't get what the difference between that and NYCs issues are

You're comparing apples and oranges. The houses in the NE are in rural or semi-rural settings, with very little going on economically (thus very little reason for people to move there --> less population density), whereas cities attract more people due to the economic opportunities they offer and some of them, like NYC and SF, cannot expand horizontally. Having AirBNB in the latter areas is creating a substantial increase in housing costs for those not in the wealthy socioeconomic section of the population. That's it was banned in Germany.
 
effectively turn their homes into hotels -- and thus take potential rental housing off the market and deny cities tax revenue.

---------
Isn't that the point of AirbNb? 95% of what's out there are second homes for people who may not be using their home for 3 months during the summer, so its basically a hotel for 90 days. Any tourist spot especially in the NE are full of these second homes from rich folks who rent out their property for a quarter of the year (or longer).

I don't get what the difference between that and NYCs issues are

You're comparing apples and oranges. The houses in the NE are in rural or semi-rural settings, with very little going on economically (thus very little reason for people to move there --> less population density), whereas cities attract more people due to the economic opportunities they offer and some of them, like NYC and SF, cannot expand horizontally. Having AirBNB in the latter areas is creating a substantial increase in housing costs for those not in the wealthy socioeconomic section of the population. That's it was banned in Germany.

The road to hell.....

NE, NYC...it shouldn't matter. These laws are antithetical to free market capitalism we're always hearing about.

AirBnB lets NYC accommodate more tourists, more $$ for the city.
 
effectively turn their homes into hotels -- and thus take potential rental housing off the market and deny cities tax revenue.

---------
Isn't that the point of AirbNb? 95% of what's out there are second homes for people who may not be using their home for 3 months during the summer, so its basically a hotel for 90 days. Any tourist spot especially in the NE are full of these second homes from rich folks who rent out their property for a quarter of the year (or longer).

I don't get what the difference between that and NYCs issues are

You're comparing apples and oranges. The houses in the NE are in rural or semi-rural settings, with very little going on economically (thus very little reason for people to move there --> less population density), whereas cities attract more people due to the economic opportunities they offer and some of them, like NYC and SF, cannot expand horizontally. Having AirBNB in the latter areas is creating a substantial increase in housing costs for those not in the wealthy socioeconomic section of the population. That's it was banned in Germany.

The road to hell.....

NE, NYC...it shouldn't matter. These laws are antithetical to free market capitalism we're always hearing about.

AirBnB lets NYC accommodate more tourists, more $$ for the city.

Ideologies are like scientific models. They only work as they should in ideal conditions, and the real world is less than ideal. Free market capitalism (as in capitalism without regulations) often leads to collusion (companies banding together and raising prices as high as they can instead of competing to keep prices low); it has never worked in favor of the consumer IN THE LONG TERM.

Tourists don't contribute to the life of the city as much as locals do, and their presence often engenders costs that are seldom discussed: additional police, more wear and tear on the infrastructure, increased population density, traffic, etc...
Tourists don't cut your meat at the grocery shop or serve you food, they don't keep your streets safe and clean, they don't respond to your emergencies, they unplug your toilets, they don't teach your children and young college students, they don't hold concerts, make movies, or hold art exhibits. All those activities generate revenue, and if all those people are priced out of the city because a few wealthy people want to become part time hoteliers, the amount you will get in tourist dollars will never match what you'll lose in services

Finally, I find it interesting that at least one of the people complaining about the law doesn't even pay the local housing market rate but wants to invoke free market capitalism as if he's an active participant.

Pots and kettles...
 
Same thing w/ Uber/Lyft being fought by the cab industry. They recently kicked em out of Philly for some foolish reason.
 
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