Airbnb pushes back on NYC rules
Airbnb is hoping New York City officials will reconsider their year-old crackdown on short-term rentals. In a new blog post, the rental giant argues the restrictions "failed to deliver on the promise to combat the housing crisis," as rents are still going up and so are hotel rates. Loosening the rules would "support resident hosts, and revitalize local businesses that depend on tourism dollars," the company says. Airbnb made $85 million in net revenue from New York in 2022, but its number of short-term listings have plunged more than 80% since the city's crackdown.
I am so very very glad that NYC cracked down on AirBnB. It's returned my residential neighborhood to -- guess what -- being a residential neighborhood! Gone are the out-of-town visitors smoking pot and playing music on the rear deck of the brownstone next door (their AirBnB rental) at 2 a.m. -- which happens to be immediately outside my bedroom window. Residential zoning exists for a reason. The restriction on AirBnB is about quality of life in residential areas as much as anything. And I am very glad that AirBnB hosting is restricted as it is commercial activity encroaching in residential areas.