Inside Airbnb stealth campaign to dilute NYCs new rental laws with hidden funding of grassroots groups

Airbnb is trying to claw its way back into New York City’s short term rental market by injecting $1 million into what’s been framed as a grassroots movement of homeowners who want to rent out their one- or two-family homes.The online rental company suffered an embarrassing defeat in fall 2023 when the City Council passed a law that imposed strict regulations on home-sharing, forcing Airbnb to remove from its site tens of thousands of Big Apple rentals at the time and sending traditional hotel rates soaring.Local Law 18 requires hosts to be present when guests are home, but Airbnb’s covert lobbying supports a new bill from Councilmember Farah Louis and supported by Speaker Adrienne Adams that would upend that.The new bill would allow short term rentals when the owner is not physically present in one or two-family homes.Some critics say Airbnb is pumping money into group’s to fabricate a grassroots movement that doesn’t exist.“I don’t think most people who own one- and two-family homes want to see this kind of activity in their neighborhoods,” Michael McKee, treasurer of the Tenants PAC told The Post Tuesday.

“We’ve certainly seen no broad evidence of that.”The billion-dollar tech company buried their lobbying expenses in other coalitions or nonprofits that support the legislative changes Airbnb is after, a move known as an “astroturf” campaign, McKee said.For example, Airbnb spent nearly $400,000 to a coalition called Communities for Homeowner Choice, a lobbying organization started this past February. Airbnb is the sole funder of Communities for Homeowner Choice, according to lobbying reports filed with the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government and obtained by The Post.But the group has no contact information on its website and hasn’t posted on any of its social media accounts in six months“I do not believe there’s a real grassroots movement.

I don’t think there are thousands of homeowners who want to do this,” McKe...