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Airbnb law hitting legitimate bed and breakfasts
Some hostels and B&Bs closing due to legislation targeting short-term rentals
Bed and breakfasts around the city are feeling the pressure from Airbnb.
Ever since a 2011 law was enacted that sought to eliminate short-term rentals and illegal hotels in residential buildings, legal bed and breakfast owners have been impacted, the New York Observer reported. As a result, legitimate bed and breakfasts have become collateral damage in the fight against Airbnb, with some being forced to close.
Under that law, bed and breakfasts and hostels aren’t protected, according to the website. Small bed and breakfasts are subject to the same laws and rules as large hotels, with a task force issuing violations for, among other things, not having separate staircases.
Last week, City Councilmembers Daniel Garodnick and Mark Weprin wrote a letter to try to find a solution.
“We need to explore avenues to deal with the unintended consequence of the law. Perfectly legitimate B&Bs out there that are paying hotel and sales tax are very different from what the illegal hotel laws was trying to address,” Garodnick said, according to the website. [NYO] — Claire Moses
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