AirBnB kind of, sort of legal in NYC now

Have you been thinking about how you want to make some extra cash by listing your apartment on AirBnB. Man, you must not be afraid of meth-fueled identity thieves. But, if that’s what you wanna do, you had to be careful about it, because New York City was claiming you were breaking the law by offering your place as short term rental. And while a judge had previously levied a fine against an NYC resident who did just that, the city’s Environmental Control Board has reversed the fine. Looks like Hotel Brokelyn is open for business again!

The news about the fine reversal comes from AirBnB’s David Hantman, who shared it on AirBnB’s official blog. Now, the ruling does come with a caveat. AirBnB contended that according to state law, using your residency for a short term rental was alright as long as you stuck around while you were renting part of it. The ECB took a look and agreed with AirBnB’s reading of the law. So if you’re planning on taking a long vacation and using AirBnB to pay your rent while you’re not around, you can’t do that.

On the other hand, if you want to start hosting, for money, people who have better sense than to stay in a Marriott in Times Square or the Bushwick Hotel, you are free to do that. But, BUT. Make sure that it’s OK to do this in your lease, because if your landlord somehow finds out you’re running some kind of Hotel Awesome out of your apartment and your lease specifically forbids things like that, then you’re gonna have one unhappy landlord.

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