Airbnb Lawsuit to Block NYC Law on Short-Term Rentals Is Dismissed

8/10/2023

A New York judge on Tuesday dismissed Airbnb's lawsuit against New York City over legislation it called a "de facto ban" against short-term rentals. Justice Arlene Bluth of a state court in Manhattan said it was "inherently rational" for the city to require that hosts register with a local agency as a means to reduce illegal short-term rental listings. Airbnb sued New York in June, saying the city's enforcement of Local Law 18 would make it more difficult for hosts to do business, and effected "its most extreme and oppressive regulatory scheme yet, which operates as a de facto ban against short-term rentals." In her ruling, the judge cited data that the city had received nearly 12,000 complaints about short-term rentals from 2017 to 2021. "Clearly, respondents have identified a major problem," Bluth wrote, "and these rules attempt to address that issue." Theo Yedinsky, global policy director for Airbnb, said: "New York City's short-term rental rules are a blow to its tourism economy and the thousands of New Yorkers and small businesses in the outer boroughs who rely on home sharing and tourism dollars to help make ends meet."

Reuters (08/08/23) Doyinsola Oladipo

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