Tenants Not Tourists Coalition Slams Sham "Poll" Alleging Support For Airbnb Bill to Undermine NYC Housing Law

NEW YORK, NY (08/05/2025) (readMedia)-- As Airbnb undertakes a shadow campaign to overturn New York City's landmark law to protect tenants from predatory apps, a new unreleased poll claims to show overwhelming support for the company's legislation to roll back existing housing laws and weaken regulations on short-term rentals. But the results do not hold up and the funding source has not been disclosed - and its conclusions curiously stand in stark contrast to recent other polling that showed a clear majority of New Yorkers are strongly opposed to the company's bill, which would take tens of thousands of homes off the rental market and drive up rents to new record highs.

In response, Whitney Hu, Director of Civic Engagement and Research at Churches United for Fair Housing, a member of the Tenants Not Tourists coalition, issued the following statement slamming the new sham poll:

"Across the world, Airbnb and its allies are bankrolling dark money astroturf campaigns like this one to spread lies to advance their affordability-killing, anti-tenant agenda. But New Yorkers aren't falling for Airbnb's sham tactics, and no new 'poll' faking support for their dangerous legislation will change that.

The reality is that Airbnb's bill would decimate our housing supply and drive rents to new record highs. That's why Mayoral candidates from Zohran Mamdani to Eric Adams have publicly opposed efforts to overturn our housing laws, and why the vast majority of elected officials are standing with New Yorkers against this bill. Our coalition is committed to fighting against Airbnb's shady tactics, and we'll continue to expose their shameless attempts to profit off of our housing crisis. We demand that those pushing this poll publicly immediately disclose whether they are funded by Airbnb."

The new poll is just the latest effort to mislead New Yorkers about the company's efforts. In May, Airbnb released a "report" that wrongly suggested New York City's landmark Local Law 18, which helped crack down on the city's unregulated short-term rental market, is failing because it has not improved the ongoing housing crisis. The new poll, which was shared by supporters of Airbnb's legislation, comes as Airbnb continues to spend more than $10 million on local council races and lobbying to pass legislation that would weaken enforcement against illegal short-term rentals and threaten thousands of rental units across New York City.

Background

Earlier this summer, a separate poll from Tulchin Research paid for by the Hotel Trades Council showed that a majority of New Yorkers say they oppose legislation that would loosen regulations to allow one- and two-family apartments to be turned into short-term rentals, with 53% of New Yorkers expressing opposition to the idea. New Yorkers also agreed that Airbnb's effort would worsen New York City's housing crisis (70%) and that short-term vacation rentals lead to higher prices and rents (69%).

The poll also questioned New Yorkers about their support for candidates who support weakening existing laws on short-term vacation rentals. According to the poll, 65% of New Yorkers said they were less likely to vote for a candidate that supports Airbnb's short-term rental proposal, compared to just 21% who were more likely to support the same candidate. On the same issue, 58% said they were more likely to support a candidate who opposes Airbnb's efforts.

About Tenants Not Tourists

In December 2024, advocates launched Tenants Not Tourists, a coalition committed to protecting New York City's housing stock for the people who live here - not for the short-term profits of multi-billion-dollar tech companies and real estate speculators. Our name reflects our belief that housing should serve tenants and communities, not be transformed into transient accommodations at the expense of long-term stability. We strongly oppose Intro 1107, a bill introduced in the New York City Council that threatens to dismantle key tenant protections and exacerbate the housing crisis in New York City. This proposed legislation undermines the progress made by Local Law 18 of 2022, which was enacted to address illegal short-term rentals (STRs) and protect the city's housing for long-term residents. To learn more, visit the coalition's website.