Foul Airbnb
Hits city for overreach in new suit
The city's battle with Airbnb entered a new phase Friday when the online rental site filed a lawsuit claiming the de Blasio administration's latest policy is “an extraordinary act of government overreach.”
Airbnb filed the federal suit weeks after de Blasio signed a bill requiring the home rental company to hand over the names and addresses of all its hosts to an enforcement office.
Airbnb claims the new legislation forces the company to turn over “an unprecedented amount of intimate personal data” to a government agency that “works shoulder to shoulder with private investigators hired and paid by the hotel lobby.”
“No probable cause, notice, or legal review is contemplated in connection with the bulk collection of this data, and no real restrictions are placed on its use or dissemination,” says the suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
“As such, the ordinance is an unlawful end-run around established restraints on governmental action and violates core constitutional rights.”
De Blasio's office fired back immediately, vowing to take the fight to Airbnb.
“This law provides the city with the critical data it needs to preserve our housing stock, keep visitors safe, and ensure residents feel secure in their homes and neighborhoods,” said Christian Klossner, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement. “The city will defend it.”
The new law, slated to take effect in February 2019, is designed to arm city officials with enough information to target AirBnb hosts who violate home-sharing laws.
Existing laws ban apartment rentals of fewer than 30 days unless the owner is present.
The new legislation drew swift condemnation from the city's tech community and the New York Civil Liberties Union.
De Blasio has argued that Airbnb, which has roughly 50,000 listings in the five boroughs, creates a shortage of affordable rentals, exacerbating the city's housing crisis.
Airbnb has countered that City Hall is bowing down to the interests of the powerful hotel lobby, which sees the online rental site as an existential threat.