Airbnb and NYC?

muffins · 3 Dec 2016 at 14:40

Myself, wife and child plus my dad, cousin and his wife are all going to travel to New York for my Grandad's 90th birthday, staying for 10 days.

My grandad lives in Brighton Beach. Initially my dad was looking at a Sleep Inn Hotel in Coney Island. The rooms there ar $170 per night.

But myself and my cousin think That the area the hotel is, is a bit dodge. We then thought instead of renting three separate hotel rooms why not try Airbnb and rent out a whole apartment. For the same, or similar money we can rent out a whole apartment in Brooklyn, somewhere like Williamsburg, and all stay together.

Doing further research, it seems it is now illegal since 2010 to rent out a whole apartment for less than 30 days. How is it then that there are hundreds of such places up for rent on Airbnb?

I think it's too much of a risk for us to go ahead with Airbnb?

Has anyone rented a whole apartment with Airbnb in NYC? It's looking like we might have to go back to initial plan of hotel rooms, but at a more favourable local…

Efour · 3 Dec 2016 at 14:42

Write to the owner and ask ?

I know that's ridiculously obvious but problem solved in 1 email.

muffins · 3 Dec 2016 at 14:47

Efour said:
Write to the owner and ask ?

I know that's ridiculously obvious but problem solved in 1 email.

Ask them how they are circumventing the law?

Efour · 3 Dec 2016 at 14:50

Pretty much yes.

this ?

judging by the amount of recent reviews on short term rental for a lot of places id say the new law is currently being ignored or circumvented somehow.

wedrum · 3 Dec 2016 at 15:11

i nearly booked airbnb but decided on a hotel, i know people have booked and been fine but me personally would not risk it.

dowie · 3 Dec 2016 at 19:52

wedrum said:
i nearly booked airbnb but decided on a hotel, i know people have booked and been fine but me personally would not risk it.

What do you believe your risk is?

AFAIK it is the host who is liable to be fined here.

wedrum · 3 Dec 2016 at 20:18

dowie said:
What do you believe your risk is?

AFAIK it is the host who is liable to be fined here.

be just my luck the host gets busted when i am staying there turfing me out on the street.

dowie · 3 Dec 2016 at 20:42

wedrum said:
be just my luck the host gets busted when i am staying there turfing me out on the street.

I'm not sure that makes much sense - if you host somehow gets caught and at some point has a fine why does that mean you'll be turfed out?

muffins · 3 Dec 2016 at 22:14

Also just today Airbnb dropped their lawsuit. NYC doesn't do self catered accommodation?

Mucky_Pup · 4 Dec 2016 at 09:39

We used airbnb to rent a house in Brooklyn last year with no problems.

muffins · 4 Dec 2016 at 12:53

Mucky_Pup said:
We used airbnb to rent a house in Brooklyn last year with no problems.

Did you have the whole house to yourself?

Begbie · 4 Dec 2016 at 12:58

I had the same issue when going to Japan, Airbnb was so much better value for money but due to legalities a lot of people were finding out a few days before going that they had been caught and could no longer stay there. I mean that's fine, as it doesn't cost anything. But with most big cities, the price of booking a hotel in a good area at last minute is generally very expensive.

In the end I never risked it, but looking on reddit it was quite uncommon.

Mucky_Pup · 4 Dec 2016 at 14:00

muffins said:
Did you have the whole house to yourself?

Well there was 18 of us all together over there, but yeah, we had a full 4 floor house to our group. I didn't book it, but I think if you search it out that you can have sole use of places. I know houses are different from apartments though, me and a couple of friends used airbnb for an apartment in Sweden last month and the guy said if anyone asks us to say that we were his friends.