Airbnb is funding groups to challenge NYC’s rental laws, raising concerns about hidden agendas and grassroots authenticity.

New York City: Airbnb is trying to get back into the short-term rental game. They’re putting $1 million into what they call a grassroots movement. This movement is supposedly made up of homeowners wanting to rent out their homes.
Things got tough for Airbnb last fall when the City Council passed strict rental laws. These laws forced them to take down a ton of listings, which made hotel prices shoot up.
Local Law 18 says hosts need to be home when guests are there. But Airbnb is backing a new bill that would change that. This bill is from Councilmember Farah Louis and has support from Speaker Adrienne Adams.
After Local Law 18 kicked in, Airbnb listings in NYC dropped by over 90%. That’s a huge hit for them.
The new bill would let homeowners rent out their places even when they’re not there. But some folks think Airbnb is just throwing money at groups to create a fake grassroots movement.
Michael McKee from the Tenants PAC said he doubts many homeowners want this kind of thing in their neighborhoods. He hasn’t seen any real evidence of support.
Airbnb is reportedly hiding its lobbying costs in other groups that back the changes they want. This tactic is called an “astroturf” campaign.
Airbnb’s spokesperson denied they’re trying to disguise their lobbying as grassroots support. They claim they’re just helping homeowners.
For instance, they’ve put nearly $400,000 into a group called Communities for Homeowner Choice, which started this past February. But this group has no contact info on its site and hasn’t posted anything in months.
McKee is skeptical about the existence of a real grassroots movement. He believes there aren’t thousands of homeowners pushing for these changes.
The new legislation has some backing from Speaker Adrienne Adams, but the Communities for Homeowner Choice group seems pretty quiet.
Another group, Restore Homeowners Autonomy and Rights (RHOAR), claims to be grassroots too, but they’re also solely funded by Airbnb. They’ve spent $600,000 on ads targeting the City Council since May.
Both RHOAR and Communities for Homeowner Choice have hired a political consulting firm for their campaigns.
A RHOAR spokesperson named Gia S. told The Post they have over 600 members and are active in discussions and advocacy.
Airbnb’s policy director, Nathan Rotman, said they’re not hiding their support for these groups. He believes the changes would help homeowners earn extra cash when they’re away.
Rotman argues that this law would let people rent out their homes when they’re on vacation or just away for the weekend, similar to practices in other major cities.