Home-sharing services provider Airbnb has agreed to disclose more information about its short-term rental listings in New York City under an agreement announced Friday by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Under the settlement, Airbnb withdraws its federal lawsuit against the city and agrees to disclose information about rental hosts so regulators can crack down on shady or illegal “hotel” operators
“Illegal hotel operators who flout the law at the expense of working New Yorkers have no place in our neighborhoods,” de Blasio said.
“Finally, we’ll have the critical information we need to preserve affordable housing and keep our communities protected.”
Airbnb senior VP Chris Lehane said, “We have long wanted to work with New York City on an effective regulatory framework, including information sharing — this agreement achieves that. As we look toward the recovery of New York’s tourism economy, we hope this settlement will represent a continuing relationship and the first step on a path forward for our community citywide.”
Under a revised law that will incorporate the settlement, short-term rental platforms would share information with the city on a quarterly basis.
The report would include all listings that generate five or more nights of bookings, so long as the listing offers an entire home or allows three or more guests to stay at one time.
Information will not be provided for private or shared room listings with two or fewer guests.
The rental-sharing platform will provide: the address of the listing; the name, phone number and email address of the host; whether the short-term rental is for an entire unit/apartment or part of a unit; the total number of days booked; and the amount received by the host for each transaction.
The agreement is aimed at stopping unscrupulous hosts from temporarily renting out dozens of apartments in one building, thus taking apartments off the rental market for tenants.
Last year, Airbnb only agreed to provide the city partial information about its rental listings while tussling in court.
A state laws forbids apartments in most buildings to be rented out for less than 30 days unless the permanent tenant or host is residing in the apartment at the same time.
The hotel industry has pushed the city and state officials to stop illegal rentals that affect the bottom line of its operators.
One city lawmaker in March even urged the mayor to temporarily suspend Airbnb short-term rentals to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
New York City is Airbnb’s largest market in the US, with more than 50,000 apartment rental listings.
“With this agreement, the city will have a powerful tool to detect those who hide behind fake accounts and address those who take housing away from New Yorkers,” said Christian Klossner, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement (OSE).
“The revised law would not change in any way the current laws governing whether short-term rentals and their advertisements are legal. We will be able to better protect our communities and visitors, and more fully understand the impacts of the illegal short-term rental market. Now more than ever, transparency is vital to the city’s ability to keep residents and travelers safe.”