New York City sues illegal short-term rental operation in Turtle Bay
TURTLE BAY, Manhattan (WABC) -- City Hall announced a new lawsuit on Tuesday to shut down an illegal short-term rental operation in Manhattan.
The suit alleges that licensed real estate broker Arron Latimer used dozens of listings and fake host accounts to generate some $2 million in payouts from Airbnb.
During this timeframe, Latimer used more than 26 distinct host accounts, operated more than 78 listings, conducted more than 2,200 transactions, and deceived more than 6,500 guests.
The suit says Latimer, Apex Management, and managing member Esther Yip continued to run the illegal operation.
The operation occurred at a building on 51st Street in Turtle Bay, despite citations from the city.
"Today, we are sending a clear message that this kind of lawlessness will not be tolerated in our city. We are not going to stand by while shady brokers use illegal listings and fake host accounts to skirt the law and defraud consumers," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
New York City's booking service data reporting law requires online, short-term rental platforms to periodically provide the city with information about certain listings.
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