Airbnb ruled illegal in NYC

[Gardenarian]

"Airbnb, arguably the world’s most popular crowdsourced hospitality site, was ruled illegal in New York City today. It’s a tough break for the site, recently valued at $2.5 billion, that makes it cheaper for tourists to visit cities and stay in apartments located out of typically dull business districts."

Read the whole article here:
Airbnb ruled illegal in NYC (http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/airbnb-ruled-illegal-in-new-york)

I'm planning on putting my cabin on Airbnb - I hope there are no changes in California! (I would be willing to pay tax - though it would probably become a bureaucratic mess.)

[ApatheticNoMore]

article:

The company is in violation of New York’s hotel law, which prevents residents from renting out apartments — whether they own or rent them — for less than 29 days. Basically: Your studio apartment ain’t a hotel, sorry

It's a pity. However it occurs to me actually treating any old studio apt as a hotel would be illegal under many rental contracts anyway. Dont' know about NYC which has a lot of legal protections for renters (more than most places), but subletting is often forbidden by the rental contract.

I doubt it needs to be a bureacratic mess, if Airbnb charged the tax (or no more so than other taxes like sales taxes).

[jennipurrr]

Many municipalities have regulations against short term rentals in residential areas that have been on the books for years, to stop houses from turning into boarding houses. Even in areas where it is legal, short term rentals are often regulated. I have them in two different cities and have to pay tax on my places like a hotel. It is not a bad gig, but you want to make sure you are following your local laws. If it is legal and not regulated in your area you can rent out up to 14 nights without having to report to the IRS. I met someone here who purchased a home in a historic district that strictly prohibits short term rentals expressly to rent it out short term and was dismayed when her nosy neighbors turned her in.

Also, I've heard some horror stories from airbnb (both renter and owner side)...if you have a vacation cabin you might want to look into sites like VRBO where you just pay a flat yearly fee to advertise and cut out the middle man entirely.