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NYC public housing apartment rented out illegally on Airbnb

A Boston woman claims the unit she rented in New York City through Airbnb turned out to be an apartment at the Fulton Houses public housing complex in Manhattan. (Photo by Gabe Herman/The Villager)

Boston resident Rachel Valerio thought her $90-a-night Airbnb apartment in New York City was a good deal until she realized she had booked an apartment in a New York City Housing Authority complex.

Valerio tells The New York Times that the apartment was highly rated on Airbnb but it smelled like gas and there was a roach trap next to the bed.

On the plus side, the apartment in the Housing Authority’s Fulton Houses was next door to the High Line and Chelsea Market.

Subletting a government-subsidized apartment is illegal but it does occasionally happen. The Times reports that an Airbnb listing appeared last week for a “charming, private apartment” at the Queensbridge Houses in Queens.

The Housing Authority says it is investigating.

Airbnb refunded Valerio’s money last week.