Is this Ingenious, Immoral, or both? Using AirBNB to evict delinquent tenants in New York City.

[Jonathan Twombly]

BPers, what do you think of this?

In New York City, the laws are so pro-tenant that it takes months to get rid of non-paying tenants.  (This is one of the reasons I don't invest in NYC, even though I am based here.)  In fact, sub-tenants even have the same strong rights against tenants that tenants have against owners.

Recently, one of my acquaintances in New York told me about an interesting (though illegal?) strategy that owners were using against delinquent tenants.  When they find a delinquent tenant who is renting out their apartment on AirBNB, they rent the apartment and take possession.  The move all the tenant's stuff out and now, as the sub-tenant, they have a superior right of possession.

What do you think of this?  Ingenious?  Immoral? Both?