In September 2023, New York City started enforcing a law that restricts short-term rentals, effectively banning Airbnbs. The regulation aims to open up more spaces for long-term rentals in a city where the median rent is $3,700 as per Zillow’s rental data.
This is not a unique decision — places like Palm Beach, Florida and San Francisco have followed the beat of their own drum with similar Airbnb bans. Advocacy group Inside Airbnb found that at least 4,000 NYC listings vanished from the company’s website after the ban took effect.
New York-based law firm ECBAWM filed a lawsuit against New York City for the Airbnb ban law, accusing it of being unconstitutional and arguing it would result in a loss of income for Airbnb hosts.
“Petitioners’ guests prefer to stay in a New Yorker’s home rather than staying in a hotel, whether their guests are tourists visiting the City who want personalized tips from someone who has lived here for decades,” the lawsuit said. It cited that these short-term rentals were more friendly and accommodating to older folks and families than a hotel.
If you fall into the category of someone wanting a more authentic and homely experience for your NYC vacation, there are some ways to get around these restrictions that allow you to still host or find staycations in the city:
NYC summer sublet groups on Facebook
In sublet Facebook groups, many people, especially students and young professionals, sublet their apartments for the summer. Some popular groups you can join include NYC Sublets & Apartments and New York Sublets.
Rent out furnished NYC apartments with a flexible lease
The website June Homes posts fully furnished listings for apartments and rooms on flexible terms. Pick NYC as your preferred location and peruse the places you could call home for the season.
Temporarily take over a lease
Websites like Lease Break and Ohana allow you to rent out from someone who’s breaking their lease. Take advantage of the opportunity to temporarily rent out an NYC spot without the commitment of a full-term lease.
Home Exchange
Home Exchange is a program where you swap your home with another family’s residence. All you have to do is pay $235 per year for a membership that lets you browse homes or apartments. Select NYC as your preferred destination and send out exchange requests to get the short-term staycation of your dreams. See more options around such exchanges in our piece on peer-to-peer home exchanges from earlier this month.