City Comptroller’s Response to Airbnb Guest Commentary

[The following guest commentary is a response to Airbnb’s commentary published here.]

New Yorkers are facing a growing affordability crisis, and over the years my office has examined many factors that have proven to contribute to the burden of rising prices – including, most recently, a report on the impact of Airbnb on New York City rental prices.



Comptroller Report Finds Airbnb Usage Contributed to High Rent Problem

On April 2018, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer issued a report on the impact of Airbnb on City rents. The report looked at how the home-sharing company impacted rent in the City over the period of 2009 to 2016. The report found that rental rates increases during this time period can be attributed to Airbnb.


Comptroller’s Audit Reveals Unsatisfactory Conditions In NYCHA Playgrounds

549 NYCHA-owned playgrounds have hazardous conditions and lack of repair and maintenance records. On April 4, 2018, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer released an audit of New York City Housing Authority playgrounds’ conditions and maintenance. NYCHA is responsible for the maintenance of each development’s playgrounds. Results from playground inspections are required to be entered into NYCHA’s electronic system for tracking maintenance and physical repair work. However, the Comptroller’s audit shows that NYCHA failed to consistently maintain … <Read More>


Follow-Up Comptroller Audit Finds Previously Cited Privately Owned Public Spaces Still Non-Compliant

Audit reveals that Department of Buildings did not inspect non-compliant POPS locations. On November 22, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of a follow-up audit to determine whether the Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), previously found noncompliant in an April 18, 2017 audit, now provided all required amenities, and what action if any were taken by the Department of Buildings to bring these POPS into compliance. To read CityLand’s<Read More>


Comptroller Audit Finds that HPD Review of Affordable Housing Sponsors Was Effective

Comptroller audit finds that HPD’s controls to ensure that housing incentives were rewarded to qualified applicants were largely effective. On June 27, 2017, the Office of the city Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The audit sought to evaluate whether HPD had adequate controls to ensure that its housing incentive projects were properly awarded to property owners and developers that qualified for the program, … <Read More>