Airbnb is cinsel pornofighting for survival in New York City. As a bill that would devastate the home-sharing company in the state inches closer and closer to law, Airbnb is proposing new rules for its NYC hosts.
In an op-ed in the New York Daily News on Wednesday, Airbnb Global Head of Public Policy Chris Lehane proposed five changes Airbnb would adopt to prevent the company's short-term rentals from eating up the city's affordable housing, as critics have claimed.
Starting Nov. 1, Airbnb will automatically prevent hosts in New York City from listing more than one entire home. Airbnb will require all hosts to register as short-term rental hosts.
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Airbnb will also direct some revenue from Airbnb listings to landlords, instead of just the tenants listing their rented homes. Hosts will be required to have insurance and have resources available for 24/7 complaints from neighbors.
And Airbnb proposed bringing its tax remitting scheme that has worked in other cities to New York.
"By embracing policies that promote responsible home-sharing, we will not only help New Yorkers who share their homes to pay the bills, but support small businesses in neighborhoods far outside traditional tourist zones like Midtown Manhattan," Lehane wrote in his op-ed.
The bill that prompted Airbnb to offer to make these significant changes would make it illegal to advertise listings for apartments that violate an existing law banning rentals of whole apartments in shared buildings for fewer than 30 days. The bill, passed in June but not yet signed into law, imposes fines of up to $7,500 on Airbnb hosts who post their properties on the site.
Airbnb has threatened to take legal action against the state if the bill is passed into law. In September, Airbnb held an event to rally its New York hosts to fight against the legislation. Right now, the bill awaits New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's signature or veto.
New York City is one of Airbnb's most lucrative markets in the world. The site has more than 40,000 listings within the five boroughs.
While the impending bill applies to the entire state of New York, Airbnb's proposed changes target New York City.