NYC's Strict New Airbnb Regulations Could Affect Your Next Trip
Hosts will be required to follow a series of new rules.
Airbnb hosts in New York City will likely have a new set of rules to contend with starting in 2023.
As The New York Post reports, the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement recently released a new set of proposed rules that will further crackdown on Airbnb in a city where it already faces some of the nation's most stringent regulations. The 30-page document, which lays out proposed guidelines for a law first passed under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, outlines new rules and further underscores that renting out an entire apartment or other dwelling unit without the host present remains illegal.
The new rules would now require Airbnb hosts to submit apartment floor plans to the city, provide proof that it's their permanent residence, and list the full legal names of all full-time occupants and their relationships to the host. They would also have to submit their lease and certify an understanding of the city's multiple dwelling laws. Hosts would even be prohibited from putting locks on the doors of rooms where guests stay. Failure to comply could result in fines ranging from $1,500–$5,000.
In a statement to the Post, an Airbnb spokesperson described the rules as "draconian" and "unworkable." But the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement, tasked with regulating Airbnb, said it was necessary to rein in bad actors in the industry. The move comes as a recent study found more Airbnb listings than open apartment inventory in NYC. Other municipalities elsewhere in the state have also moved to regulate the home-sharing industry.
There will be a public hearing to solidify the proposed rules on December 5.