online, legal experts have raised another concern about the business model: many of the operators may be violating New York’s strict laws against renting out individual rooms.
“My first thought was this has to be a scam, just ignore it,” said Robert Bevill, a 34-year-old accounting assistant who leased a spot at 30 Meserole St. in Brooklyn. “I expected to live here for this period of time. They can’t just kick me out.” The communal living area in the Williamsburg apartment Robert Bevill shared with other roommates he was paired with through the co-living app, Bungalow.The communal living area in the Williamsburg apartment Robert Bevill shared with other roommates he was paired with through the co-living app, Bungalow.The co-living business model arrived in New York City in the mid-2010s, drawing inspiration – and funding – from the Bay Area’s “hacker houses.
The start-ups have been open about their market: young professionals who don’t mind sharing tight spaces, but are still willing to pay a premium for certain conveniences. But that same enforcement vigor still hasn’t come for co-living platforms, many of which appear to be violating the same law that requires strangers renting an apartment to sign onto a single lease that covers the entire apartment.