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>They knew individuals were renting whole apartments 100% of the time, and did nothing. While this certainly goes against the spirit of Airbnb and probably aga

• thesimpsons1022 10y ago
  they are in many places just not nyc. if you are against that, and i agree your point has merits, try to change the law. don't actively work to break the law.
  • madeofpalk 10y ago
    To be fair, they're 'just' following the Uber playbook of breaking the law in the most public way possible with the hope of changing the law in their favour
    • davidf18 10y ago
      No, not really, because AirBnB puts transients in apartment buildings that threaten the safety of people who live there. AirBnB seems to have little regard for the safety of New Yorkers: there are children, the elderly, and women who should be able to feel safe and be safe in their own apartment buildings. Many, many buildings have doormen in NYC have doormen who keep transients out. People are free to take Uber and it does not threaten the safety of New Yorkers. In fact, it has been helpful to help reduce taxi-like vehicle fares in NYC for New Yorkers. AirBnB does not benefit New Yorkers except those who rent out their apartments.
      • sokoloff 10y ago
        To the extent that AirBnB increases tourism to an area, or reduces the cost of lodging, leaving a propensity for tourists to spend more locally (and have the same total cost of their stay), the local merchant community benefits.
        • davidf18 10y ago
          Well, if this is the goal, then the merchants could advertise the low-cost hotels in Union City, NJ ($60 Priceline) 15 mins from Times Square. This way the merchants benefit without the harms to NYC residents. Of course, the businessmen hotel/motel owners in Union City benefit as well. Win-win-win (NYC merchant, NYC resident, Union City merchant).
          • sokoloff 10y ago
            If I'm a deli, pub, pizza, or dinner place in Manhattan, I benefit WAY less from someone staying in another state than I do from someone staying in my neighborhood.
            • davidf18 10y ago
              Union City, NJ is 4 miles from Times Square (Apple Maps). People live there are far beyond and commute to NYC every day for work. While technically another state, it is much closer to Times Square than much, if not most, of NYC. Most New Yorkers could care less that people are using AirBnB to save money. We do care about transients being in our apartment buildings. People who are visitors to any city or country should show respect to those who live there.
              • sokoloff 10y ago
                4 miles and crossing a river is a pretty long walk for pizza, beer, or dinner. I doubt you'll find a pizza place in Times Square who wants to advertise for people to go stay in New Jersey in hopes that that advertising will be net profitable for them. It's obvious you don't like AirBnB's prior operations in NYC; I can respect that. I started out commenting how AirBnB can in fact benefit a New Yorker other than those who directly rent out their apartments on the site.
• mattmanser 10y ago
  Reduced rental stock + disruptive transient population introduced in residential areas. No-one wants to live next to a AirBnB. End of discussion. We've been over this a million times here, you're not opening up the discussion.
  • davidf18 10y ago
    > No-one wants to live next to a AirBnB. End of discussion. Exactly. AirBnB shows total disrespect. I am sympathetic to those who want clean, low-cost places to stay when visiting NYC. According to Priceline there are $60 hotels/motels in Union City, NJ 15 mins away by transit from Times Square.
    • ethanbond 10y ago
      Yeah but then you're in Times fucking Square!
    • erispoe 10y ago
      The idea that you should have a right to dictate what your neighbors can and cannot not do in their own homes is not uncontroversial, and a slippery slope.
      • jacalata 10y ago
        The idea that the city doesn't have a right to dictate exactly that is nonsensical. Pretending that we have suddenly jumped from an anarchist free-for-all city environment with no such concept as zoning to this brand new day of regulations on what a building can be used for is really making it harder to have a sensible conversation about the topic.
      • davidf18 10y ago
        These are not self-standing houses. They are apartments that are part of an apartment building which has a doorman or a locked door to keep transients out. Incidentally, some buildings don't permit pets, for example. Why is it so hard to understand that we don't want transients in our buildings?
• eightfourteen 10y ago
  > if there is demand for this kind of short rentals, why wouldn't they be allowed? There is demand for a lot of things in a lot of areas, but it isn't allowed because it would be for the benefit of a select few at the cost of the many. Casinos, bars, hotels -- any kind of business, really, aren't allowed everywhere even though there may be demand for those services from people who don't actually have to live in that area.
  • oldmanjay 10y ago
    "Think of my backyard" is slightly less compelling than "think of the children"
    • Goronmon 10y ago
      Just because "think of the children" is an overused argument, doesn't mean we should stop caring about children entirely to avoid that phrasing. Same goes for the "not in my backyard" complaints.
      • oldmanjay 10y ago
        It also doesn't mean that saying it makes a compelling argument.
• matt_wulfeck 10y ago
  Exactly. The market is filling a niche here and it seems the only response is that "it's wrong because the rules say it's wrong".
  • davidf18 10y ago
    No, the response is that we don't want transients in our apartment buildings. NYC is a very large, dangerous city. Many, many buildings have doormen who keep transients out and help to protect the safety of children, the elderly, and women. As for that market niche, I assume you mean affordable hotels. A Priceline search yields $60 per night hotels/motels in Union City, NJ. Union City is about 15 mins by transit from Times Square.
    • ch4s3 10y ago
      NYC is very large, and on the whole very very safe. It is in fact the safest city in America. The real problem with permanent whole apartment rentals is that is puts a strain on the limited housing supply. Its easier to regulate against non-conventional use than to rewrite zoning to allow more affordable housing to be built. So, that's the regulation we get.
      • davidf18 10y ago
        NYC has a homicide rate 3 times per-capita of that of London. There is a lot of violent crime and there is also property crime. I live in NYC and nobody I know of wants transients in the buildings. One of the functions of doormen is to keep strangers out. AirBnB is like a "back door" to allow these people into the building. People should instead use affordable hotels $60 per night according to Priceline in Union City, NJ 15 mins by transit from Times Square.
        • wcummings 10y ago
          Heaps of people in NYC live in buildings without a doorman without being viciously murdered.
• EpicEng 10y ago
  So, in other words, you don't understand why we have zoning laws, so you think they should be wiped off of the books.
• subpixel 10y ago
  Because the lasting effects of unchecked tourism are never positive.