This tony Manhattan neighborhood is experiencing an extremely crappy problem.
The Upper East Side has reportedly become a hot spot for vans moonlighting as short-term rentals despite lacking a functioning toilets.
At least two Chevys — one a blue Suburban, the other a white Express — have been repeatedly spotted around the pricey nabe sporting duplicate plates, the Daily News reported.
Online listings for the questionable mobile hotels claim that the “RV”s feature one bedroom, one bathroom, running water and can sleep two adults.
When a Daily News reporter rented one for $147, however, they found an unlocked, unventilated van with a mattress inside.
Airbnb listings for the cars appear to have been removed in the time since the Daily News article published.
“Following an investigation, these listings have been removed from the platform,” an Airbnb spokesperson told The Post in a statement. “In June 2020, we reached an information-sharing agreement with New York City which regularly provides the City with the data for short-term rental regulation.”
In addition to the numerous problematic aspects of the situation, Airbnb’s official policies also explicitly disallow listings that are offered on public lands, including the streets of Manhattan.
Similar listings for vehicles containing beds with the same pictured sheets are still up elsewhere.
“In the heart of Upper East Side NYC,” begins one $102-a-night listing on a trip-planning site, which does clarify that “The RV does NOT have entire bathroom!” although guests are “welcome to have shower in our home a block away.”
Locals told the Daily News the vans are moved between public parking spots and patrons, much to the chagrin of neighbors, have been finding alternative bathrooms.
“They go between the cars or on the building stairs across the street,” an East 87th Street super told the publication, adding that a constant stream of new guests have stayed in the van, often for a few days at a time.
A 39-year-old East 87th Street resident named Stacey said she only became aware of the white van’s presence due to “the smell of urine and feces.”
According to the outlet, the vans are rented out by a woman named Magdalena Kulisz, the co-founder of a networking group called Miss Immigrant USA, who has been photographed alongside the likes of Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul.
“All the [vans] are legally registered and everyone can rent it not only from Airbnb…You can book it through other platforms even you can just call me or refer your friends,” Kulisz told the Daily News. “I’m not an attorney but it’s not an apartment so I don’t think I need to register it with the city.”
In a lengthy statement to The Post, she says, “We find ourselves perplexed by the supposition made by the superintendent and the neighbors who assumed that the smells were caused by our guests,” Kulisz told The Post in a lengthy statement, which focused heavily on her Airbnb’s apparent focus on providing affordable housing for immigrants. (She adds that was just one service she used for the rentals.)
She added, “Our mission has always been to aid immigrants who might not have a place to stay. While Airbnb’s rates are largely aimed at tourists, we have always made it a point to provide affordable shelter for immigrants, charging them minimally and, at times, offering them free stays.”