Category Archives: New legislature

City sets up commission to propose real estate tax reform

Sometimes, clients ask me why the taxes on one townhouse are much higher than others or vice versa. The City tax system is a very difficult one to understand and few do. The City has appointed Vicki Been and Marc Shaw to co-chair this new commission. 10 public hearings will be held to solicit input from the public.

Commercial Observer coverage

 

The Author-  Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.

REBNY supports bill for Airbnb to share owner information

The Real Estate Board of New York(REBNY) fully supports a proposal of the City Council to mandate that home sharing sites like Airbnb share their users’ information with the City.

REBNY believes that Airbnb is one of the main reasons that rents have risen in the last decade in New York City while Airbnb maintains that home sharing is not even among the top 20 reasons that rents have risen. They do acknowledge that there needs to be measures to ensure that landlords maintain control over their buildings and is in favor of measures to eliminate abuse of the site.

Some regulation is definitely needed as there is a security issue with the rampant use of home sharing sites as not only buildings but blocks become more transient due to the widespread use. Landlords do have a right to better enforce the abuse of the sharing economy.

REBNY opinion here

Airbnb side here.

Previous coverage

The Author-  Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.