Airbnb gears up for big legal and legislative battles in New York
Photo Credit: Listings by an Airbnb host who has multiple units available. Airbnb
Skift Take
Airbnb doesn't really have a choice here. They either pay for the appeal in the hope that the fine is overturned and then milk that for good PR -- even though the law will remain the same -- or suffer under a dark cloud that will threaten its IPO.
The battle over illegal vacation and apartment rentals in one of the world's biggest travel markets is getting interesting.
The apartment share service Airbnb received an avalanche of bad press when it was reported by CNET on May 21 that a host had been fined, and then erroneously re-written by countless other sites that Airbnb was illegal in New York City. In reality, a judge sitting on the city's Environmental Control Board found an Airbnb host named Nigel Warren guilty of breaking the state's short-term housing law. Airbnb, while it did submit arguments to the court, was a big-name bystander rather than a party to the violation. But the impact of the ruling was still a blow to the company in its efforts to legitimize its service.
After the ruling Warren told reporters "I plan to talk to Airbnb before making any decision on whether to appeal." Today David Hantman, Airbnb's Head of Global Public Policy, wrote on the company's public policy blog, "I am pleased to report that we
