New York State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal has donned the mantel of vigilante in order to stop the root of all injustice: Airbnb.
Rosenthal—who represents parts of the Upper West Side and Midtown—recently orchestrated a sting operation by seeking out Airbnb hosts with multiple listings for entire homes and apartments. She then proceeded to go undercover and book rooms, catching numerous offenders on camera proudly showing off their "illegal hotels." According to Gothamist, the worst offender was "a rental company that had no tenants at all, with a rental agent posing as a 'host.'"
"This undercover investigation exposed that Airbnb is an enabler of the rampant illegal activity and is robbing New York City of precious units of affordable housing," Rosenthal said, but then, we already knew that. "We were able to identify unlawful hotel operations with just the click of a mouse and a camera. Seeing firsthand how easy Airbnb makes it to illegally rent residential units, it's no surprise why we are losing so much affordable housing."
"In order to fight evil, I must become evil," Councilwoman Rosenthal probably added, while staring into a mirror.
· Video: NYC Airbnb Abusers Caught Red-Handed In Sting Operation [Gothamist]
· All Airbnb coverage [Curbed]
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