Investigation Underway After Boston Woman Books NYCHA Unit On Airbnb
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Housing Authority is investigating after a Boston woman unknowingly booked a NYCHA unit on Airbnb.
The woman paid $90 a night to stay at Chelsea's Fulton Houses.
She said the property, which is next to the High Line and Chelsea Market, was highly rated on Airbnb.
But she told The New York Times when she arrived, it smelled like gas and there was a roach trap next to the bed.
It's illegal to list government-subsidized housing on Airbnb.
The company sent the woman a refund and released the following statement from Josh Meltzer, head of northeast policy for Airbnb:
"We have supported regulations across the country — including in San Francisco, Los Angeles and elsewhere — that prohibit short-term rentals in public housing. Right here in New York, for the past three years, we have backed a bill proposed in Albany that would go even farther, barring short-term rentals in all affordable housing. Simply put, there is no daylight between us and the City on the importance of preserving public housing — and we will continue to urge the City to work with us to pass these comprehensive regulations and create a path toward responsible home sharing."
City Councilman Ritchie Torres says he plans to call hearings on the matter.
