I think comparing it to identity theft or insurance fraud is a bit extreme, but the harm is real. There are many reasons why certain buildings are not allowed t

I think comparing it to identity theft or insurance fraud is a bit extreme, but the harm is real. There are many reasons why certain buildings are not allowed to operate as hotels - just a few off my head: - Bedbugs. They're at pandemic levels in NYC, and the more volume of people moving in/out of a place the more likely you are to get them. Hotels are required to mitigate the bedbug threat with a level of thoroughness that simply is impossible unless the building owner is aware that there's a hotel operating under their roof. I would be mighty pissed if I found a AirBnb in my building, as that dramatically raises everyone's risk of infestation. - Noise. Particularly in neighborhoods like mine that are restaurant and bar districts, where a large part of the attraction of the location is the ability to stumble home directly from an innumerable number of bars. Temporary residents have no incentive to keep things reasonable. Whenever this point is brought up you get a few anecdotal stories about "the British family that was sooooo quiet", but no mention of the rest of the time where we'd have to put up with the noise. - Security. I live in a small pre-war building with 20 units. I've met literally every one of my neighbors. This building isn't Fort Knox - once you're inside the main door it doesn't take Harry Houdini to break into any one apartment. Real hotels have security cameras, personnel on-site, and much more elaborate locks on doors... we do not. These are real risks and real harm happening to neighbors of guys like this. His actions have a negative impact. While calling him a sociopath might be a tad extreme, it certainly isn't completely without merit. None of these problems are unsolvable - but they are unsolvable unless the hoteling party is operating in the open. If we're going to allow people rent out their apartments in a pseudo-hotel manner, then the neighbors, the building owner, and the city needs to know about it in order to mitigate all of the above.