This story from New York strikes some as a bizarre case of regulatory weirdness. It strikes me as yet another case of Regulatory Robbery: big business using big government for profit in a way that hurts consumers:

This week, New York state senators vote on a bill that would make it illegal for any homeowner or renter to sublet for less than a month. The new law would be a blanket ban on short-term rentals no matter how ethical the renter is.

I’d give 3:1 odds this bill was drafted by hotels or motels. I’d give 50:1 odds that industry is at least lobbying to pass it.