Airbnb，一家全球房屋租赁公司，在纽约面临着一场斗争。

A proposed law would punish people for renting out their homes fewer than 30 days. Airbnb promises to fight the proposed regulation. Airbnb asked its customers to sign a paper, orpetition, against the law.

一项法案规定将对那些将房屋出租少于30天的人们做出惩罚。Airbnb承诺对这一法规抗争到底。它要求其客户签署一份文件或一份请愿书以反对该法规。

Supporters of Airbnb stand during a rally before a hearing called "Short Term Rentals: Stimulating the Economy or Destabilizing Neighborhoods?" at City Hall in New York, Jan. 20, 2015.

Airbnb is website for people advertise and look forshort-term rentals. For many, Airbnb is a cheap alternative to a hotel.

Airbnb为人们发布或寻找短租房屋提供网站。对许多人而言，Airbnb是酒店的廉价替代品。

Hotel rooms in New York City average about $250 per night. International travelers often book short visits to New York on Airbnb. But New York state law prohibits people from renting out an entire home or apartment to someone for fewer than 30 days.

纽约的酒店客房平均每晚花费为250美元左右。国际游客通常在Airbnb网站上预定在纽约的短期住宿。但是纽约州法律禁止人们将整套房屋或公寓出租少于30天。

Owners andtenants may rent out part of their apartment or home. But they must stay on the property during the short-term stay.

房东和住户可以出租部分自己的房屋。但在短租期间，他们必须在房子里居住。

Earlier this year, two New York City Council members proposed penalties for people who illegally rent their homes.

今年早些时候，两名纽约市议会议员提出对非法出租自己房屋者进行处罚。

City law currently puts a first-time penalty of $1,000 on those who change their home into a short-term rental space. The proposal would raise the first-time penalty from $1,000 to $10,000, and the maximum penalty from $25,000 to $50,000.

目前，城市法律对那些把自己的住房变成短租房屋的人们，其首次处罚金为1000美元。该提案将首次罚金从1千美元提高到1万美元，并且将最高罚金从2.5万美元提高到5万美元。

Chris Lehane is Airbnb's Global Head of Public Policy. He started the petition against the law, "The New York City Council could cause thousands of everyday New Yorkers to lose their homes or make it harder for them to get by," he said.

Chris Lehane是Airbnb公司全球公共政策负责人。他发动了反对该法案的请愿。他说，“纽约市议会可能会让数千名纽约人失去住房，或者让他们度日更加艰难。”

City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal said the increased penalties were not meant to hurt people, "but at protecting the New York City housing stock." There is worry that using so many apartments short-term rentals drives up housing prices for everyone. Visit the website www.chinavoa.com to get more information!

市女议员海伦·罗森塔尔表示，加重处罚不是为了伤害人们，而是为了保护纽约市的住宅存量。有人担心公寓短租会带动房价上涨。

The councilwoman's spokesperson, Stephanie Buhle, said the goal is to protect low-income tenants. She gave the example of a low-income apartment building that listed 80 percent of its units as hotel rooms. Residents complained, and the city fined the owner only $800.

这位女议员的发言人斯蒂芬妮·布勒表示，其目标是为了保护低收入租户。她例举了一栋低收入公寓大楼，有80%的房间被列为酒店房间。居民怨声载道，该市只对业主进行800美元的罚金。

"Our housing stock is really valuable, and [landlords] are using it for [their] own good," said Buhle, who added that the city suspects there to be more than 16,000 illegal hotels in NYC.

布勒说，“我们的存量住宅是非常珍贵的，而房东只为自己着想。”他还补充说，该市怀疑当地有超过1.6万家非法旅馆。

Airbnb says nearly eight in 10 of its hosts are low to middle income. Many of them need additional income to remain in their homes or apartment.

Airbnb表示，该公司近80%的业主都是中低收入者。他们中的许多人需要额外收入来保住他们的住房或公寓。

According to the city council's website, the amendment is being considered by a council committee. It may or may not actually become a law.

根据市议会官网，该修正案正在等待委员会批准。尚未确定它是否被定为法规。

New York Cityis not the only city to propose laws against short-term home-sharing. San Francisco will vote on November 3 whether to limit short-term rentals to 75 days a year. The current limit is 90 days. The proposed law would require hosting sites like Airbnb to take down listings that violate the limit.

纽约市并非唯一拟定法规反对住房短租的城市。旧金山将在11月3日投票决定是否把短租限制在每年75天。目前是90天。拟定法规将要求像Airbnb之类的托管网站撤掉其违反该法规的住房信息。

In an agreement with the city of Chicago, Airbnb recently began collecting hotel tax in order to stay in business there.

在同芝加哥达成的协议中，为了继续在该市经营，Airbnb公司最近开始征收酒店税。

Airbnb was created seven years ago and has grown very fast in the digital age. The company lists about 1.2 million rentals worldwide on its website, according to the Los Angeles Times. Cities across the country are trying to figure out how to best tax and manage this industry.

Airbnb公司创立于7年前，并且在数字化时代发展迅猛。根据洛杉矶时报报道，该公司在其网站上列出了全球120万套租赁房屋信息。全国各地城市都在试图找出如何更好征税及经营该行业的办法。

I'm Adam Brock.

我是亚当·布洛克。

Michael Lamon wrote this story VOA News. Adam Brock adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

petition– n. a written document that people sign to show that they want a person or organization to do or change something

short-term rental – n. renting out a house or apartment for less than 30 days

tenant– n. a person, business, group, etc., that pays to use another person's property : someone who rents or leases a house, apartment, etc., from a landlord

penalty– n. punishment for breaking a rule or law

housing stock– n. the total number of housing units in an area

digital – n. using or characterized by computer technology

regulators – n. an official who works for the part of the government that controls a public activity (such as banking or insurance) by making and enforcing rules

amendment– n. a change in the words or meaning of a law or document (such as a constitution)

Airbnb, a global home-sharing company, faces a fight to stay in New York City.

A proposed law would punish people for renting out their homes fewer than 30 days. Airbnb promises to fight the proposed regulation. Airbnb asked its customers to sign a paper, orpetition, against the law.

Airbnb is website for people advertise and look forshort-term rentals. For many, Airbnb is a cheap alternative to a hotel.

Hotel rooms in New York City average about $250 per night. International travelers often book short visits to New York on Airbnb. But New York state law prohibits people from renting out an entire home or apartment to someone for fewer than 30 days.

Owners andtenants may rent out part of their apartment or home. But they must stay on the property during the short-term stay.

Earlier this year, two New York City Council members proposed penalties for people who illegally rent their homes.

City law currently puts a first-time penalty of $1,000 on those who change their home into a short-term rental space. The proposal would raise the first-time penalty from $1,000 to $10,000, and the maximum penalty from $25,000 to $50,000.

Chris Lehane is Airbnb's Global Head of Public Policy. He started the petition against the law, "The New York City Council could cause thousands of everyday New Yorkers to lose their homes or make it harder for them to get by," he said.

City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal said the increased penalties were not meant to hurt people, "but at protecting the New York City housing stock." There is worry that using so many apartments short-term rentals drives up housing prices for everyone. Visit the website www.chinavoa.com to get more information!

The councilwoman's spokesperson, Stephanie Buhle, said the goal is to protect low-income tenants. She gave the example of a low-income apartment building that listed 80 percent of its units as hotel rooms. Residents complained, and the city fined the owner only $800.

"Our housing stock is really valuable, and [landlords] are using it for [their] own good," said Buhle, who added that the city suspects there to be more than 16,000 illegal hotels in NYC.

Airbnb says nearly eight in 10 of its hosts are low to middle income. Many of them need additional income to remain in their homes or apartment.

According to the city council's website, the amendment is being considered by a council committee. It may or may not actually become a law.

New York Cityis not the only city to propose laws against short-term home-sharing. San Francisco will vote on November 3 whether to limit short-term rentals to 75 days a year. The current limit is 90 days. The proposed law would require hosting sites like Airbnb to take down listings that violate the limit.

In an agreement with the city of Chicago, Airbnb recently began collecting hotel tax in order to stay in business there.

Airbnb was created seven years ago and has grown very fast in the digital age. The company lists about 1.2 million rentals worldwide on its website, according to the Los Angeles Times. Cities across the country are trying to figure out how to best tax and manage this industry.

I'm Adam Brock.

Michael Lamon wrote this story VOA News. Adam Brock adapted it for Learning English. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

petition– n. a written document that people sign to show that they want a person or organization to do or change something

short-term rental – n. renting out a house or apartment for less than 30 days

tenant– n. a person, business, group, etc., that pays to use another person's property : someone who rents or leases a house, apartment, etc., from a landlord

penalty– n. punishment for breaking a rule or law

housing stock– n. the total number of housing units in an area

digital – n. using or characterized by computer technology

regulators – n. an official who works for the part of the government that controls a public activity (such as banking or insurance) by making and enforcing rules

amendment– n. a change in the words or meaning of a law or document (such as a constitution)