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AG's Airbnb report finds ‘widespread illegality’
Oct 17, 2014 12:15 am
Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s analysis of four and a half years of data from the rental site Airbnb found more than two-thirds of reservations violated New York law. The report, “Airbnb in the City,” is being released to coincide with the creation of a joint task force designed to shut down illegal hotels in the city. Among the report's findings: Up to 72 percent of Airbnb listings are illegal; numerous units appear to serve as illegal hostels; and, gentrified neighborhoods account for the vast majority of Airbnb revenue. Lawmakers’ displeasure with Airbnb resulted in a recent upstate skirmish after a Brooklynite was evicted from her rental of a Stuyvesant barn she was subletting on Airbnb and similar sites, much to the barn owner’s displeasure. Read the full report at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.