Airbnb, under fire for possibly violating a New York law on short-term room rentals, refused to vouch for its own product, The Post has learned.
At a Town Hall meeting in Manhattan last month, top executives of the San Francisco company refused to say whether they would put their own necks on the line by renting out any Big Apple apartments they may have, according to an audio tape of the meeting.
Short-term rentals of New York City apartments are a common practice but have attracted the attention of state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is probing the practices of Airbnb hosts.
Last fall, Schneiderman subpoenaed the records of many of Airbnb’s roughly 15,000 New York hosts. The tech start-up is fighting the request and squared off in a courtroom recently seeking to have the AG’s subpoenas tossed.
A judge has not yet ruled.
State law requires an apartment dweller to be present during any rental of less than 30 days.
Airbnb is fighting to change the law.
Many Airbnb hosts are fearful they could violate their lease and lose their home if the AG’s probe finds them in violation of the state law.
With this fear hanging over the April 23 meeting, nervous renters asked Airbnb brass what kind of rentals they thought should be allowed in light of the AGs probe.
Airbnb executives played coy, saying they didn’t want to give legal advice, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by The Post.
Frustrated, one host cleverly turned the question on Airbnb’s execs by asking whether they would do what they let their hosts do and rent out their entire apartments.
“I’m not giving personal advice,” said David Hantman, Airbnb’s head of global policy.
“It’s not personal,” the host shot back.
In the meantime, Airbnb is making it known that hosts who do flout the law are on their own if Schneiderman decides to go after them.
Airbnb’s new terms of service, for example, warns people that they’re using the site “at your sole risk.”
Hantman sought to reassure hosts by saying he doesn’t think the AG will go after “regular people,” even if they are breaking the law.
Airbnb, in a statement, said the hosts were “understandbly concerned” but that they were working to make life easier for them.
Hantman said he believes Schniederman is going after people who are operating black-market hotels with more than a dozen listings.
“How about ‘regular people’ who have two or three or four listings?” one man asked. “Should these people shut down operations tomorrow because their information could be handed over?”
“Again, we are not giving individual advice,” Hantman said.
The 6-year old company, recently valued at $10 billion, is believed to be eyeing a move to go public through an initial public offering.
Losing hosts from fear of being caught in the AG’s net, however, could erode revenue and put a crimp in any IPO plans.