Kim, Lucas and I tried out airbnb in the Summer of 2012 in Singapore and had an amazing experience. We’d definitely try it again if the situation called for looking into alternative ways to find where to stay while traveling.
I’ve heard about it being illegal to rent out rooms and apartments through airbnb in the New York City area but wasn’t too sure of the rules (and it’s not like I am looking for a place to crash in the area).
I received an e-mail from airbnb about a NYC host- Nigel Warren who won an appeal related to the city’s short term rental laws. Warren was fined $2,400 about a year ago for breaking the laws when renting out a room (through airbnb) in his East Village apartment for 3 nights at $100 per night.
With the help of airbnb, Warren won his appeal and will have the $2,400 fine that he paid returned to him.
Here is the e-mail from airbnb:
| Hi Michael,
We are thrilled to share news with you on behalf of NYC host Nigel Warren – he won his appeal! This means all of his fines are being reversed and that under New York City law, as long as a permanent occupant is present during a stay, the stay does not violate the city’s short term rental laws. This is a huge win for Nigel, for NYC, and for much of the Airbnb community. A huge thank you goes to all of you for supporting Nigel, NYC hosts, and Airbnb throughout this process. Our effort doesn’t stop here – we will continue working toward clarifying the law and ensuring that New Yorkers can share their homes and their city with travelers from around the world. If you’d like to read more, here’s a link to our blog post about the victory and a news article about Nigel’s story. Let’s all celebrate with Nigel today! Onward! Sheila Karaszewski |
So why was the decision on the fine reversed? While Warren was away, his roommate- a permanent resident was home making it legal for the room to be rented out.
I was glad to read this positive news for airbnb. The service adds another option for booking a room if traditional accommodations are not available or out of your price range. We also had a great experience using the service so I am impartial for that reason too!
Has anyone else tried out airbnb? If so, where did you book a room and what were your thoughts on the experience?
As a NYC resident, very happy about this news.
As an AirBnB member, fully support the site and I have used it in London (2013) and Puerto Rico (2012). 🙂
Awesome! Glad that you also had poisitive experiences using airbnb!