New York City may have initially failed when it came to the emerging technologies and relationships of sharing, but they’re trying to make up for their initial snipe against the use of Airbnb.
Airbnb, a home-renting site that is one of the vanguards of the so-called “sharing economy,” has been under fire in big cities — including New York — where authorities have found that it violates local zoning laws. The service got a boost this week, however, after an appeal board found that a resident who rented out his room to two Russian tourists did not violate New York City’s prohibition against short term rentals.
In its decision, the board reversed a $2,400 fine that an inspector imposed on condo owner Nigel Warren, who had charged the tourist a fee and provided keys for three days.