Never a dull moment in New York City: Apparently people have been using their vans as illegal Airbnb rental units, and the New York City Sheriff's Office made a strike team-style coordinated bust on the whole ring this week.
According to the New York Post:
Cops this week seized seven illegally documented vans that were being used as cut-rate, under $100-a-night Airbnbs, authorities said...
"Glamp in a spacious camper Van in NYC!" gushed one ad boasting of a "private room" said to accommodate up to three people.
But an eagle-eyed traffic enforcement agent noticed something sketchy about the vehicles — five of which were parked in the East Village — whose registration and NJ plates were long expired, some going as far back as 2000, sources said.
A joint investigation by the city Sheriff's office and the NYPD Document Fraud Unit discovered an "operation of alleged fraudulent and illegally registered vehicles being used as Airbnb rentals on various streets in Manhattan," Sheriff Joseph Fucito told The Post. Five of the seven were parked in the East Village.
Yikes.
The listings have since been taken down by Airbnb, though third-party sites still had them up as of Saturday afternoon. One of the advertisements offered renters this little incentive:
Public restrooms, shower and lockers are available at a public pool nearby (free!).
Free bathrooms at a nearby public pool?! Sounds like top-of-the-line New York City luxury!
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