<i>The law and rules effectively ban short-term rentals in New York City</i><p>An intentionally misleading statement from Airbnb. The law in question does severely restrict the class of permissible rentals (to owner- and tenant-occupied units), and will certainly bite them in the ass as far as this market is concerned -- but, as Airbnb is perfectly aware, it is not a blanket ban on short-term rentals at large.<p>Also, the law in question does not create new restrictions at all -- but rather creates a structure for enforcing existing restrictions.