NEW YORK CITY (WPIX) — Seven vans were impounded in Manhattan this week after investigators discovered they were being used as illegal Airbnb rentals, according to the NYC Sheriff’s Office.
The vans were impounded for a “variety of alleged offenses which prohibited their operation or parking on a public street,” NYC Sheriff Joseph Fucito said on Sunday.
The sheriff’s office is working with the NYPD Document Fraud Unit on the investigation.
Part of the investigation includes a YouTube video reviewing an overnight stay in one of the vans.
An Airbnb spokesperson told said in an emailed statement the vans are no longer active listings on the platform.
“In June 2020, we reached a robust information-sharing agreement with New York City, and subsequently began complying with the City’s short-term rental data reporting law, which regularly provides the City with the insights it needs to effectively regulate short-term rentals. Enforcement of the law is the responsibility of the City, and it has the data needed to do so, in this case, likely for months,” the spokesperson added.