Airbnb purged more than 1,000 NY listings, report says

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Airbnb is making room for anyone who wants to "Netflix and chill." The popular saying, which refers to sex, is the theme to a unit available in New York City via the apartment-sharing company. (Screen shot from Airbnb.com)

Home-sharing service Airbnb attempted to rig a survey of its New York City hosts, according to a new report. The company, which is under heavy scrutiny by some New York legislators, reportedly deleted more than 1,000 of its listings.

The New York state attorney general’s office has said that many of Airbnb’s listings potentially violate local laws that require short-term rentals of no more than 30 days.

According to TheGuardian.com, data collected by the watchdog website Inside Airbnb, alleges that the purge occurred before December 2015.

Airbnb claimed that as of November 17, 95 percent of its “entire home” hosts had only one listing. During the first half of November, entire home listings dropped from 19% to 10%.

“That claim was true for less than two weeks of the year,” according to the report.

The alleged purge targeted entire- home listings, which allow Airbnb users to rent an entire apartment, from people with multiple properties on the service, a particular issue with New York authorities.

In a statement from Airbnb posted to TheGuardian.com, the home sharing service is defending the numbers.

The busy weekend at the end of October could explain the drop in listings at the beginning of November.

“The facts are clear for all to see – the vast majority of our hosts are everyday people who have just one listing and share their space a few nights a month to help make ends meet," according to an Airbnb spokesperson.