There’s no need to be such a jerk about it, Phil. How is someone not from NYC to know it’s illegal there? I’m from the other side of the country and had no idea, as I’m sure this person didn’t. Just because there’s a screen separating you from this person doesn’t give you the right to speak that way.

In New York City you can report an illegal Airbnb or other short term rental by calling 646-979-4117 or filling out on online form at

https://www1.nyc.gov/apps/311universalintake/form.htm?serviceName=DOB+Illegal+Use+Residential+as+Hotel

And 99% of the Airbnbs are illegal

Phil, I think we can all appreciate how wise you are and also the fact that you know some things that some people are unaware of, so maybe you could nicely share your knowledge instead of hammering people.

This story is sad, and this experience was certainly disappointing, and we don’t all have the same care nor standards.

Tips for using a rental home:
– remember that you have booked a home, not a hotel. Standards can be surprisingly different
– read the reviews
– google the place. If the neighborhood is shady, you’ll likely find that info online
– quickly visit the city’s website and check if hosts are supposed to be licensed
– if they are supposed to be licensed, then the licenses are public records, so do some research. If you don’t have enough info to find this right now, you can still book a place that has flexible cancellation policy, confirm the booking, get all the info you need, conduct some research, and if you’re not satisfied, just cancel and find something else
– check what the short-term regulations are in that location
– take a couple of minutes to audit the place and take pics/video of whatever you find dirty or damaged, that doesn’t match your expectations
– also try to take pictures from the same spot as the ones used on the listing, for comparison
– if there’s anything to declare and you’re ok asking the host, do it right away
– if you feel uncomfortable telling the guest about it, call Airbnb right away. Don’t think that you’ll call tomorrow. It’ll be too late. Tell your Airbnb rep that you want to receive an email from them to be able to send them pics. If you don’t receive their email within 30 minutes, call back, and tweet a couple at @AirbnbHelp. Keep doing that until you can share your pics

That way, you do everything you can to show that the place didn’t match your expectations and/or can prove being false advertising, in a timely manner.

Hope this helps 🙂