Airbnb host ‘concerned’ about paying expenses as NYC enacts stricter rules

Short-term rental hosts in New York City have to comply with stricter regulations now that a new law has hit the books. Some owners of one- and two-bedroom apartments are concerned about meeting expenses if they can’t list their property. “I'm very concerned about being able to afford our home and our expenses without the short-term rental,” Gia Sharp said while sitting in her Brooklyn walk-up. The new rules are intended to effectively end a free-for-all in which city landlords and residents have been renting out their apartments by the week or the night to tourists or others in town for short stays. Under the new rules, platforms such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and others are not allowed to process rentals for unregistered hosts. Sharp says she is unable to register because she doesn’t live in the area of the home she is renting out. Under the new system, rentals shorter than 30 days are only allowed if hosts register with the city. Hosts must commit to being physically present in the home for the duration of the rental, sharing living quarters with their guests. More than two guests at a time are not allowed, either, meaning families are effectively barred. Sharp said she switched her rental to comply with the 30-day rule because she didn’t want to break the law. No one has booked Sharp’s rental yet. Officials and housing advocates who had pushed for the restrictions said they were necessary to stop apartments from becoming de facto hotels. “We're in New York City. Everything is super small, and the rules don't really make sense if they're saying that I have to share my apartment and they have to have access to every room in my house and I have to have access to theirs.” Sharp is considering alternatives like business travelers and traveling nurses that may be more flexible to ensure the apartment is available for when a family is in need. This article was provided by The Associated Press.