Albany Lawmakers Vote to Make Some Airbnb Rentals Double Illegal

In New York it's illegal in many cases to rent out your apartment to a visitor, on a short-term basis. But that doesn't mean people don't do it. Just check a website like Airbnb and you'll see thousands of listings that appear to break the law.

Now, the New York State legislature is getting serious about stopping illegal listings. Lawmakers have passed a bill to slap hosts with stiff new penalties just for listing an apartment that would not be a legal rental.

The law in its current iteration is not enough to deter people from listing their apartments because the way it is enforced. Right now violators are identified through a complaint-driven system. It takes weeks or even months for inspectors to investigate each complaint, and issue violations, and collect fines.

Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn't indicated whether he will sign the bill into law.