Illegal short-term rentals in NY under scrutiny as complaints surge

New York

COMPLAINTS in New York City connected to illegal short-term rentals jumped 62 per cent last year, prompting regulators to target apartment owners who use websites such as Airbnb Inc that enable those deals.

Elizabeth Glazer, director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, told City Council members on Tuesday that New Yorkers lodged 1,150 complaints about so-called "short-term transient rentals" last year, up from 712 the year before.