> These off-platform rentals pose risks to both guests and hosts, who could get scammed without the protections of bigger companies like Airbnb.<p>It feels strange that we're blaming the rise of Airbnb for property shortages while at the same time stoking fear of a return to the state of things pre-Airbnb. Before the internet it was classifieds and window signs and the friction of that process made it very difficult to scale.
Yet only 5% of said units registered with the city as apartments so far. They'll have to crack sooner or later. It seems like a drop in the bucket for rentals in NYC, but this is a huge win for residents quality of life. Hopefully this is the beginning of people taking back more of what was stolen over the last decade through regulatory disregard by VC money.
> In one listing marked as exempt, the host asks for guests to avoid interacting with the building’s concierge<p>I stayed in a place like this in Vancouver, where they clearly weren't allowed to rent it out. Super shitty IMO.