Can someone verify that it is illegal to rent out your home/apt in NYC?

[ciscogizmo1]

I've been researching on VRBO, Homeaway for a rental for 3 nights in NYC. It is a girls' weekend with 10 people and a place with a kitchen would be ideal. So, I started searching and many of places required a week stay. However, one person e-mailed back and said that the place wasn't available but had other places. So, they e-mailed me back and gave me listings of two apartments. Both looked beautiful inside and looked very nice and clean. Not upscale nice but clean. I saw the site that the rentals came back from and decided to google them. So,this is what I found out that basically it is illegal to rent out your apartment in NYC.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g...City:New-York:Vacation.Apartment.Rentals.html

I also found this:

http://www.frommers.com/articles/6912.html

So, how does an innocent consumer protect themselves? I'm glad I googled it. I noticed the prices they gave me for the two apartments they found were amazingly cheap for midtown. It was basically $300 per night for a unit that slept 10 people. Most of the popular chain hotels go for about $230 to $300 a night. I found their prices not believable after reading the articles. Do you think it is scam?

 

[carl2591]

if it feels like a scam, go with your gut feeling.. better safe than sorry..

:annoyed:


ps do any the places on vrbo have reviews??

 

[DeniseM]

if it feels like a scam, go with your gut feeling.. better safe than sorry..

:annoyed:


ps do any the places on vrbo have reviews??

You can post reviews for a particular Ad, but the owner can delete it...

 

[ciscogizmo1]

if it feels like a scam, go with your gut feeling.. better safe than sorry..

:annoyed:


ps do any the places on vrbo have reviews??

Yes, many of them had reviews. None of the reviews said that it was a roach motel. But still how do I know the owner is not posting the reviews.

Still frustrating.... We decided to stay in a hotel to be safe.

I think, it might be illegal to rent apartments in NYC as most of the stuff I'm reading is that most condo associations don't allow it and they are in violation of many codes like sleeping limits, fire safety, etc...

 

[isisdave]

It would be a pretty unusual apartment in midtown Manhattan that would sleep 10, unless six are under the age of one.

There are many places where it is not permitted to rent out dwelling units without a license. In some the restriction is absolute, and in others it's more than a certain number of days per year. This is to prevent people from trying to end-run licensing and inspections, from violating zoning laws, and to avoid residential neighborhoods from becoming motel row.

Of course it happens, and the owner is the violator, not the renter. The B&B police won't be there to throw you out. If they try to charge you city tax, though, I'd ask to see a registration certificate or any evidence they actually pay such a tax.

 

[debraxh]

Apt rentals less than 30 days are illegal. I don't know if the tripadvisor sticky refers to the code, but I've seen links in the forum. If you need a kitchen, an apt style hotel such as those available through affinia.com or radio city apts would be your best bet. They may have 2BR suites, and two of those should suit your group nicely.

 

[Talent312]

A long time ago, we did a "exchange" with a NYC apartment owner who stayed in our house while we stayed in theirs... as each other's "guests." We found each other thru a craig's list type service, but I don't remember the name.

I dunno if he was breaking any of the building rules, but we had no issues while there.

 

[ciscogizmo1]

A long time ago, we did a "exchange" with a NYC apartment owner who stayed in our house while we stayed in theirs... as each other's "guests." We found each other thru a craig's list type service, but I don't remember the name.

I dunno if he was breaking any of the building rules, but we had no issues while there.

From what I read that is not illegal as long as no money exchanges hands.

 

[ciscogizmo1]

Apt rentals less than 30 days are illegal. I don't know if the tripadvisor sticky refers to the code, but I've seen links in the forum. If you need a kitchen, an apt style hotel such as those available through affinia.com or radio city apts would be your best bet. They may have 2BR suites, and two of those should suit your group nicely.

Thanks I'll check those out.