Comptroller Stringer Statement on Airbnb’s Attempts to Distract from Its Effect on Rising Housing Costs

“Same old, same old from Airbnb.

“Airbnb’s high-priced lobbyists are doing what they always do when confronted with facts they don’t like, which is hold press conferences to try and smear those who dare to question the company’s impact on cities. It’s the same playbook they have used around the globe, from Paris to Berlin to San Francisco. The fact is that Airbnb drives up rents for millions of working New Yorkers every single day by allowing unscrupulous landlords to turn once affordable apartments into private cash cows.

“If the company actually cared about real New Yorkers, they would work with the City to track down those who violate the law by releasing raw data on all hosts, rather than cherry-picking information that they know makes enforcement impossible.

“This is the latest in a long history of Airbnb distracting and discrediting any independent governmental investigations into the effect their illegal operations have on local housing markets. Just last month, Airbnb forced the City to go to court rather than comply with a subpoena for records related to a Chelsea building that is allegedly operating as an illegal Airbnb hotel – using rent-stabilized apartments that should be affordable homes for New Yorkers. It’s the same playbook as when they fought to withhold data from the New York Attorney General and refused to respond to several requests from the New York City Council to release its records.

“Many real New Yorkers see this problem up close every day, when yet another stranger shows up at the apartment down the hall – an apartment that used to be a home for a friend, a neighbor, a working family.

“Airbnb needs to stop distracting and release the raw data. In the meantime, we will continue to do our work to make sure New York City is a place where everyone can afford to put down roots and raise their families, and we will not back down because of threats from special interest lobbyists.”

To read Comptroller Stringer’s report, “The Impact of Airbnb on NYC Rents,” click here.

To read Comptroller Stringer’s Fact Sheet on Airbnb Claims, click here.

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