> these apartments were in upscale areas, so it isn't really preventing anyone from moving in Of course it's preventing them. It's one less apartment in an alr

> these apartments were in upscale areas, so it isn't really preventing anyone from moving in Of course it's preventing them. It's one less apartment in an already airtight market. For every apartment not available for renting, all the other rents go up another bit. Or a big bit since you can easily charge double via Airbnb. This means without any regulation the rents could surge to at least 80% of what you can get via Airbnb. And since this would seriously hurt the city the government gets involved. > should be up to the landlord and not the government It's the government's duty to protect its citizens from abuse. "The government" is behind every law and regulation. So every time I hear this I wonder if the people who say it realize what it implies. How easily it turns into "it's up to the [person who shafted you] not the government". I'm sure you are protected by so many of them you don't even realize. Just because renting in NY is not an issue for you doesn't mean it's not an issue.