New York attorney general’s report puts Airbnb in a tight spot

The report claims that nearly three-quarters of the company’s rentals in New York City are illegal. Airbnb pushed back, but not very hard.

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If you have stayed with an Airbnb host in New York City, odds are you weren’t supposed to be there.

That’s the conclusion of a Thursday report from the New York attorney general’s office , which states that 72 percent of the rentals offered in the city are illegal in some way. In most cases, they either violated the law that prohibits residential rentals of fewer than 30 days or rules against people residing in non-residential buildings.

Airbnb called the report’s information “incomplete and outdated,” but didn’t fully deny its findings. Here’s the statement it sent Consumerist:

We’re proud that Airbnb has helped countless families pay their bills and stay in their homes.

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