A Queens homeowner is facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after being accused of running an illegal hotel.

City inspectors say the Kew Gardens home has eight rooms with separate locks and a vending machine on the front porch. The property now sits empty, with a vacate order posted.

"None of this was legal. None of this was safe."

In 2022, a neighbor complained about the residence to 311 and officials with the city Office of Special Enforcement were sent to inspect it.

"None of this had been approved. None of this was legal. None of this was safe," said Christian Klossner, executive director of the Office of Special Enforcement.

Klossner confirmed the city is suing the owner to recover fines totaling more than $400,000.

A woman at the owner's home connected CBS News New York on the phone with a man she identified as her son.

He said he did not want to say anything about legal representation and hefty fines, but said he is confident the vacate order will be lifted.

The city says, first, the interior must be returned to a single-family configuration.  

Number of illegal short-term rentals is down under 2022 law, officials say

In 2022, the city passed Local Law 18, cracking down on illegal short-term accommodations of less than 30 days.

The extremely tight housing market in New York City is why these laws are considered so crucial to make sure tourists are not occupying spaces that should be going to residents.

"When this law was proposed, we told City Council that we estimated about 18,000 units of housing had been lost to illegal short-term rentals, and now through prevention, that number is way down," Klossner said.

Klossner says short-term rentals must register with the city and will be disqualified if the space is rent-regulated or the building bans the practice.

He says the most effective part of the law was that it forced the big tech companies to check registrations and help remove illegal units from their rental sites.