A
five-story apartment building in Lincoln Square is at the center of a long-standing dispute over Airbnb rentals. The building's owner, Canvas Property Group, had its property listed on the city's "Prohibited Building List" due to unregistered short-term rentals. However, a tenant allegedly continued to rent out her unit on Airbnb despite this designation.

    Local Law 18 requires hosts to register their listings with the city, and platforms like Airbnb are supposed to verify these registrations before posting them. Airbnb had previously challenged the law, arguing it effectively banned short-term rental companies. The company filed a motion to dismiss Canvas' lawsuit but was denied in August by state Supreme Court Judge Suzanne Adams.

    Adams ruled that the landlord's lawsuit was a valid means of seeking justice and that Airbnb's actions likely violated Local Law 18. This decision allows the landlord to proceed with its case against Airbnb and the tenant, Carmen Magarin de Dominguez. The ruling is seen as a significant victory for landlords and a setback for Airbnb.

    Airbnb has since appealed the decision, but declined to comment on active litigation. Since the city began enforcing Local Law 18 in September, the number of Airbnb listings in New York City has dropped by 80 percent.