For Anyone Seeking An Apartment Rental

I happened to see this segment on the local news tonight, and the first thought I had, obviously, was all of the people on TripAdvisor:

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It doesn%26#39;t deal directly with the scam problem that so many have encountered, but the video will give tourists an idea of why apartment rentals aren%26#39;t generally acceptable in New York.

From the local news site:

'; It%26#39;s an issue that has been getting a lot of attention lately, landlords that have turned apartments in residential buildings into hotel rooms. A report that will soon be released is expected to reveal just how many apartment buildings are involved, but Channel 11 has learned there are at least 200 in our area...';

On the site, there%26#39;s also a link for local residents to report suspected illegal hotel rooms. One apartment building I%26#39;ve seen many TA users mention is prominently featured in the story, so it%26#39;s definitely something worth checking out.

For Anyone Seeking An Apartment Rental

';For Anyone Seeking An Apartment Rental...';

Oh darn, I thought you were going to offer your place to a poor scammed tourist!

;o)

Thanks for posting this story!

Maybe some employees at CW11 are also addicted to this site and read it during work hours?

For Anyone Seeking An Apartment Rental

I honestly wondered that, as well, QueensBoulevard. However, judging by the apartment residents in the feature, I think this might just be a problem that%26#39;s come to a crisis point because of the record number of tourists capitalizing on the weak dollar and general idea that vacation rentals are common everywhere.

Also, I%26#39;m really interested in seeing the full results of the aforementioned investigation- not to mention the specific illegal apartments.

';Oh darn, I thought you were going to offer your place to a poor scammed tourist!';

Ha, ha. If anyone is interested in my 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom apartment in the heart of Manhattan (THE BIG APPLE), just off Times Square, just wire me a huge deposit. The place has an indoor pool, private jacuzzi, five parking spots, is within walking distance of ';all the sights'; from Rockefeller Center to the Statue of Liberty, and comes with a maid, butler, and chef. All this for the low, low price of $50 a night, plus the ';refundable'; deposit.

I bet you have bedbugs there, Alice LOL

I hope people see this. I guess that is the reason for all the scams. Landlords taking advantage of old housing laws used to help people from back in the depression? I would be just as upset as those tenants. I guess the landlords don%26#39;t care because if the tenant does not like it they can move out and more money for the landlord.

I guess that explains all the confusion that goes on this forum.

Thanks

Thinking about this subject alittle more makes me think that maybe some idea%26#39;s for scams comes from perhaps people working for these buildings and now they can get away with it by telling the people sorry, there is no apt here? I am not saying all scams come from this theory , but it is food for thought.

However, most of the scam buildings either don%26#39;t exist or are offices. I don%26#39;t think the scammers would want to be directly connected to the physical buildings, and the photos and descriptions in the scam ads most often have nothing to do with reality.

I think it%26#39;s more likely that we%26#39;re all learning there are all sorts of apartment scams that a person could pull off- landlords, renters, owners, even people who%26#39;ve never set foot in New York.

Also, if you live in the city and suspect an illegal hotel, you can call 311 to report it.

bump!

Very interesting reports, Alice. Thanks for posting.

bird