New York City SWAT raids of short-term rental industry

The Omnipotent State Strikes Again

New York City’s government imposes so many taxes and regulations on short-term lodging entrepreneurs that the City recently sent dozens of armed agents to raid a condo complex.

The accusation? That several of the condo owners were making a few bucks by lending out their condos to NYC tourists. See here.

The City recently imposed an ordinance requiring short-term-rental providers and networks such as Airbnb to notify the government of all rental transactions in the City. Government investigators also employ teams of investigators to monitor social media to identify black-market renting.