Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are trying to land a free $30 million apartment in Manhattan through Airbnb.
After Kardashian kin Kylie and Kendall Jennerrecently got a gratis villa rental in Turks and Caicos, and posed for endless bikini shots to maximize the publicity for the incredible Caribbean crib, the short-term rental giant is now trying to negotiate a luxury penthouse for Kimye in NYC for a few months this fall.
An Airbnb source told us: “The plan would be for Kimye to live there for a few months for free, and Kim will post on social media about the apartment, like her sisters did from Turks and Caicos. Airbnb would pick up the tab for the rent.”
We’re told West wants to be in Manhattan for New York Fashion Week, and to use the apartment as a base for his “Saint Pablo” Tour, which kicks off on Aug. 25 in Indianapolis.
While self-described genius West already has an apartment on Houston Street, a source close to the star told us, “It’s only a one-bedroom, and it is smaller than Kim’s closet in LA. He’s grown out of it, plus they need more space for the family.”
We’re told staffers for West have viewed stunning penthouses, all currently for sale, at 10 Sullivan St. in Soho ($29 million), 35 North Moore St. ($29.9 million) and 471 Washington St. ($24.5 million), plus a few other palatial downtown pads.
But the “modern-day Marie Antoinette” and her rapper hubby haven’t had immediate success. “Not many of these sellers want to rent to Kimye, as having their names, and Airbnb, attached to such a luxury property won’t help a sale,” a source said. “It isn’t attractive to high-end buyers. Plus, Airbnb is only offering a little more than $150,000 for the entire stay, when most of these places rent for [more than] $100K a month.”
Kardashian’s rep didn’t get back to us, and reps for West and Airbnb didn’t comment.
A source close to West added that his manager “Scooter Braun has people looking at places . . . Kanye wants to use New York as the hub for his tour. They have been talking to Airbnb, and hope to decide on an apartment soon.”