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Pay Up! City Council Raises Fines On Illegal Hoteliers

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The operators of illegal hotels may have trouble sleeping tonight—and it won’t necessarily be because of the rowdy tourists filing in after midnight. The City Council voted this afternoon to raise fines on building owners who convert permanent residential units into illegal hotels from $800 to $2,500 per violation to $1,000 to $25,000 for repeat offenders.

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“Many of these illegal hotels are taking housing away from New Yorkers who need it,” said Upper West Side Council member Gale Brewer, who introduced the bill because she did not believe that the $800 fine was enough of a deterrent for landlords who often make more than $100 a night on each illegal unit, particularly when they pack the rooms with bunk beds.
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