Everything & Anything New York City

scottishgirl87

M4RKM wrote: »

Not 100% true. If they are GHD 4's they are multi voltage, and will work perfectly on 110v

M

Was about to say the same. I have the newer GHD's but instead of taking them with me I bought a cheap pair from Target a few years ago which work a treat! Had originally planned to bin them after the trip but decided to keep them anyway and they've been on several trips with me now. Granted they're not as good as my GHD's but they're close and I'd rather lose/break them (say in suitcase) than my GHD's

Any

We are going to NY in 2 weeks and we booked an apartment, we have stayed in apartment on our travels before (Spain) and did not even consider that it could be illegal.
After reading on here I spent quite some time on Google and this is what I found:
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/07/new-york-governor-approves-short-term-apartment-rental-ban-in-nyc/101054/1

This comes to effect on 1st May 2011... So what is all this talk about it being illegal? Surely as long as the owner pays tax on rental property (until this law comes to effect) we are not doing anything illegal?

beeza

M4RKM wrote: »

Not 100% true. If they are GHD 4's they are multi voltage, and will work perfectly on 110v

M

This pair are very old (the wide paddle version, no longer available she tells me) and they're only marked for 220-240V. Spotted on my check of chargers and electrical stuff we're taking.

greenface

Any wrote: »

We are going to NY in 2 weeks and we booked an apartment, we have stayed in apartment on our travels before (Spain) and did not even consider that it could be illegal.
After reading on here I spent quite some time on Google and this is what I found:
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/07/new-york-governor-approves-short-term-apartment-rental-ban-in-nyc/101054/1

This comes to effect on 1st May 2011... So what is all this talk about it being illegal? Surely as long as the owner pays tax on rental property (until this law comes to effect) we are not doing anything illegal?

Its a very very grey area at ther moment and this is why they are bringing in a definitive rental agreement. Clever people will give you the reasoning but i have to admit if youve already booked it . Hope all goes well and the apartment is actually there legal or not . "surely as long as the owner pays tax on rental property WE are not doing anything wrong" If this is good reasoning and unless your the homeowners accountant this is the grey areas i am on about. I think the WE part is half right because in case of problems. I can imagine a fire happens and it damages your goods or worse yourselves . Your travel Insurance will be reluctant to pay out for more than one reason. Plus if this is the case and you turn up to a unregistered correctly apartment .You simply wont be covered. i dont do all by the book but i normally know the risks. Im sure Phat & Markymoo & others has a better way to explain. I am sure your going to go ahead with your break i hope it is fantastic NYC is fab but look at the details of what people are saying and the reasoning for it. No one is trying to bullsh1t you

M4RKM

Any wrote: »

We are going to NY in 2 weeks and we booked an apartment, we have stayed in apartment on our travels before (Spain) and did not even consider that it could be illegal.
After reading on here I spent quite some time on Google and this is what I found:
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/07/new-york-governor-approves-short-term-apartment-rental-ban-in-nyc/101054/1

This comes to effect on 1st May 2011... So what is all this talk about it being illegal? Surely as long as the owner pays tax on rental property (until this law comes to effect) we are not doing anything illegal?

The NEW law comes into effect on the 1st May 2011. It's actually a number of laws that are being merged into one. The existing laws, (many of them) state that apartment rentals under 30 days are illegal.

So what's the worst that can happen. The apartment doesn't actually exist. This has happened before - http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/midtown_building_caught_in_internet_WG5htO7gBYXfsf18AsVGZK

Bait & Switch - hotel toshi is renowned for this one, as the apartment you rented isn't available, you can have this one though, and it's falling apart, it's dark dingy and unsafe.

not as described - the photos don't look like the apartment, it isn't near the beach, it doens't have car parking, the hot water doesn't work. Remember, the apartment owner won't live on site, so how long is it going to take to sort out a problem. can you really survive a weeks holiday without hot water? You probably paid cash / paypal, so have no come back, the owner has your money.

housing department kick you out - there may have been a number of complaints about someone illegally renting apartments, and then NYC housing come around, legally can kick you out, and you have nowhere to stay, no recourse, no money back, and need to find a hotel sharpish. - http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/illegal_hipster_hostel_shut_down_Lqlhyy6op8B7ngdmaHwuNN

Have a read of this - a non legitimate hotel is now a homeless shelter because of this law - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/15/nyregion/15homeless.html

If you go onto - http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/bsqpm01.jsp - and click building search - and type in the address of your apartment - this will tell you what the classification of the building is. If it is H9 - Hotels - then it is legal, if it is anything else, it's probably illegal.

A hotel is legal in New York, and normally you will pay AFTER you stay.

Hope that helps and shows you what can happen, and I will always urge people to stay in a Hotel

lisadolphin

Continuing on the apartment rental subject: What would you do if you wanted to stay in NYC for a month? I've found that the price at a hotel goes up a lot per night if you have an extended stay of 2 weeks or more. It's not illegal for 30 days or more but I would like to do this maybe later this year, but concerned if anything goes wrong in the apartment.

M4RKM

lisa, If you want legal apartments for 31 days, then the best thing is go to a company who specialises it. To rent an apartment with a contract, you have to prove you can afford it, so you might want to look for corporate furnished apartments. I can't find the link right now.

Other options are, especially as a tourist, is to change hotels. NYC is huge, so you could easily spend a week in Midtown Manhattan, a week in Lower Manhattan, a week in Brooklyn and a week in Queens and still not scratch the surface. That is if you're planning on a month in NYC as a tourist.

M

lisadolphin

Thanks Mark - great idea about changing hotels, I didn't think of that, although I did think of checking out and checking back in to the same hotel, but I thought that wouldn't go down well with the hotel.

greenface

I own a short term holiday let(wales) and i Cannot rent it for more than 31 days at a time but people do and by "checking out and in" isnt a viable option.But if two people are going well thats two names that can be swiched (even if its the same surname)

KK22_2

I have ghd's that are some of the first ones out so mega old now and mine worked in NYC with no problems whatsoever.