Skift Take
If Airbnb will ever succeed in easing New York's stringent short-term rental regulations, a precursor would be the type of hosting-information-sharing pact that it reached with the city. It doesn't guarantee lighter regulation, but many things could be on the table in the new normal of a post-coronavirus New York City.
Ending a years-long skirmish over complying with short-term rental regulations, Airbnb and New York City reached a settlement that requires Airbnb to provide the city with host information, including names, physical addresses, phone numbers and emails. If hosts don't consent to the data transfer, they would be barred from listing their properties on the platform.
That Airbnb consented to such a settlement in one of its biggest global markets may have implications for other cities.
With some exceptions, such as for private and shared-room listings and properties that were listed for fewer than four nights in the previous quarter, New York hosts are subject to paying state sales and use tax, New York City hotel occupancy taxes, and city and state nightly room fees.
"This information will only be provided for hosts who have consented — but hosts who do not consent will not be able to list their home as a short-term rental," Airbnb stated.
The settlement of Airbnb's lawsuit against the city, which was filed in the Southern District of federal court in New York in 2018, gives Airbnb protections in case bus
