*Manhattan, always ahead of the curve.
*If left unmolested, of course New Yorkers are gonna turn their homes into illegal squat hotels. It's New York. Anybody who's been there comes to realize that the NYC real-estate scene is an economic world all its own.
*Any city with a tourist industry is gonna realize that AirBnB is disrupting its informal taxes on tourist migrants. That's not a simple matter to endure.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57585377-93/ny-official-airbnb-stay-illegal-host-fined-$2400/
"New York officials have determined that a man who rented out part of his apartment on Airbnb should pay $2,400 for violating the city's illegal hotel law, despite Airbnb stepping in on the host's behalf.
"The city initially asked host Nigel Warren to pay $7,000 total in fees for violating a law that makes it illegal for property owners to rent out homes temporarily – essentially mimicking hotel stays – and for unrelated issues with building and zoning codes, according to the decision and order issued by the board. (See PDF below; it cites Abe Carrey, who owns Warren's condominium, and Warren's first name is misspelled.)
"The city argued that the apartment "may only be used as private residences and may not be rented for transient, hotel, or motel purposes."
Related stories (((those are good)))
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"As Airbnb continues to shake things up for the hotel industry, it's increasingly running into issues with the law, particularly in areas where the law is not clear cut. It's not just in New York – officials in the company's hometown of San Francisco are concerned about property owners potentially using its service to get around local tenant protections and land use codes.
"The New York case is centered around a 2011 law that makes it illegal for New York residents to rent out a property for less than 29 days. It was originally aimed at landlords who bought up residential properties and turned them into hotels. Airbnb has been lobbying legislators to change the law so it clearly protects hosts, like Warren, who are not trying to turn their homes into hotels...."
