By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — A new bill passed by the State Legislature would make it llegal to rent an apartment in New York for less than 30 days.
Governor David Paterson has said he would veto the bill. But the possibility that it might become law has made some New Yorkers and travelers uneasy, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The average rate for a hotel room in New York was $231 per night for the month of June, up 15 percent from last year, the WSJ reported.
But by searching Websites like Craigslist.com, AirBnb.com, and Homeaway.com, tourists can find thousands of listings for under $100 a night.
AirBnb.com even had one for as little as $35 a night.
Sarra Hale-Stern, the community liaison for state Senator Liz Krueger, said Krueger decided to sponsor the legislation after receiving “hundreds and hundreds of phone calls” from people complaining about units in their building being rented to tourists, she told the WSJ.
In fact, short-term private rentals have been illegal in New York City since 1920, but are only difficult to enforce, she said.
For some, the problem isn’t individual owners who rent out rooms, but landlords who run illegal hotels out of single-room unit buildings, WSJ reported.
Carl Shepherd, the co-founder of Homeaway.com, says that if the bill passes, it will only drive short-term apartment renting underground, decreasing the guarantee of a decent quality building, WSJ reported.
