Why Albany should reject the flawed Airbnb bill

As the legislative session draws to a close in Albany, elected officials from some of the wealthiest parts of New York City are claiming that they have a rare opportunity to preserve affordable housing. However, while their intentions are good, their chosen solution is deeply flawed and shortsighted.

The bill they have proposed would penalize a New Yorker for simply advertising his or her own home on websites like Airbnb. These lawmakers claim that this bill will help crack down on illegal hotel operators who remove available apartments from the long-term rental market. And while these few bad actors should certainly be punished, state lawmakers are having a hard time telling the difference between illegal hotel operators and the 95 percent of Airbnb hosts in New York City who share their own home. From a single mother in Bed-Stuy who occasionally rents her home while she and her family are away, to a freelancer in Crown Heights who shares his home to supplement his income.

The drivers of this bill seem to willfully ignore this flaw in their hasty legislation. They point to outdated numbers from a report that came out years ago, and they use that inaccurate information as a shield to ignore the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who responsibly open up their homes to earn extra money to pay the bills and make ends meet.

If these elected officials visited my district and talked to the New Yorkers who have lived here for generations, they would see that platforms like Airbnb are actually helping people afford to stay in their homes. In 2014, Airbnb guests generated $199 million in economic activity in Brooklyn alone; helping many Brooklynites pay the rent and also boosting growth for the borough’s small businesses.

It is clear that all parties agree on two key principles. First, the rising cost of housing is a serious concern throughout New York City, especially in gentrifying neighborhoods like those I represent in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. And second, illegal hotel operators who push out tenants and take housing off the rental market must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

This bill does nothing to solve either problem. Instead, it exacerbates the housing crisis by preventing residents in my district from turning their biggest expense – their home – into an asset. Moreover, the bill threatens middle class New Yorkers with fines of up to $7,500 and provides unscrupulous landlords with yet another excuse to evict longstanding tenants.

A Federal Reserve survey last month found that 46 percent of Americans said they did not have enough money to cover a $400 emergency expense. To these Americans, including the 40,000 New Yorkers who share their own home with visitors, platforms like Airbnb are a lifeline. In fact, 23 percent of hosts say that Airbnb has prevented them from facing eviction or foreclosure.  Eliminating this source of supplemental income would cause significant financial distress for families across the city.

Today is the last day of the legislative session in Albany. While a handful of lawmakers are rushing to push this bill through, I hope that the rest of the state Legislature pumps the brakes and spends some time thoroughly examining the issue of home sharing in New York. The people in my district – and indeed the tens of thousands of responsible home sharers across the state – deserve a comprehensive solution that protects their ability to maintain this modest income, not another misguided law that makes it even harder to get by in the city they love.

Robert Cornegy is a New York City Council member representing parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, and the chair of the Council Committee on Small Business.