Hospitality website Airbnb steps aside in battle between authorities and users

KATHERINE CLARKE

In a sudden about-face, Airbnb has decided not to rat out its own customers to the Attorney General's office for allegedly leasing their apartments illegally to tourists via the internet hospitality website.

The website, which was sued by a group of users earlier this week to block it from giving their names and addresses to authorities, says state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the property owners should hash out the dispute between them - and leave Airbnb out of it.

The fight between the three parties stems from a deal that Airbnb allegedly struck with the Attorney General to provide names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of owners that have leased their apartments to tourists for less than the legal minimum of 30 days.

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/airbnb-investigation-users-article-1.1929849