FAQ for NYC Residents and Neighbors

My neighbor is putting short-term rental guests in their ADU. Is that legal? 

Probably not. Ancillary dwelling units (ADUs) are designed for permanent occupancy and subject to the same short-term rental regulations as other types of housing units in New York City. Your neighbor is only allowed to host short-term renters if they are registered, and can only host guests in the unit they have a registration for.   

If your neighbor is hosting STR renters in an ADU but aren’t living in the ADU themselves, you can file a complaint online through 311. 

What are the most common signs of an illegal short-term rental? 

While any one of the signs below may not by itself indicate illegal short-term renting, reporting suspicious activity to 311 can help us enforce the law and ensure the livability of your community. 

• A string of different people arriving to an apartment or home with luggage, only to leave a few days later 

• Frequent visitors with luggage attempting to get into a building by using buzzer systems, consulting phones, and reviewing printed instructions 

• Key lockboxes on the outside of a building and/or electronic keypad systems installed on doors and doorknobs 

• Visitors congregating in hallways, lobbies, stairways and elevators, talking about their stays and consulting phones, maps or printed instructions, or mentioning online rental booking websites by name 

• Online listing or ad for an unregistered address 

How do I report a suspected illegal short-term rental? 

You can submit a complaint to 311.  

Please be prepared to provide the specific address of the suspected illegal short-term rental including the apartment number, and the websites for any online advertisements for it. You can report anonymously, or if you choose, you may provide your name. Your complaint will be investigated by the Office of Special Enforcement, and you will be able to track the status of the complaint through the Department of Buildings' Building Information System.