City sues LES landlord for $1.2M over alleged illegal Airbnb listings

Rose King allegedly used 33 Airbnb accounts to rent out units in three buildings

From left: 536 East 14th Street, 123 Ludlow Street and 127 Rivington Street
From left: 536 East 14th Street, 123 Ludlow Street and 127 Rivington Street

The city is suing a Lower East Side landlord for $1.2 million for allegedly running illegal Airbnb hotels out of her properties.

According to the suit, Rose King used a middle man and at least nine assumed names to rent out apartments at 536 East 14th Street, 123 Ludlow Street and 127 Rivington Street for around $85 per night via the short-term rental site. Under a state law signed in October, it is illegal to rent out an entire unit for less than 30 days without a hotel permit.

The New York Post reported that the city asked for an emergency hearing to shut down King’s business.

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“It’s outrageous, it’s illegal, and we will stop bad actors from hurting our neighborhoods,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told the Post. “New Yorkers can’t afford to see affordable homes turned into hotels.”

According to the complaint, King’s associate Bryan Chan used at least nine different names and 33 Airbnb accounts to rent out 12 units.

Last week Crain’s reported that City Hall had fined a mere 139 out of a 24,000 potentially illegal listings over the past three months.  The city hopes that going after some bad actors will set an example and discourage others. [NYP]Konrad Putzier