Homeowners and hosts escalated their pleas for help to City Hall on Wednesday.

Dozens called on the City Council and Mayor Eric Adams to step in and change Local Law 18, which is aimed at regulating the short-term rental market.

Short-term hosts across the city chanted: “Hey, hey, ho, ho, this short-term ban has got to go!”

Small property owners feel they are being targeted in an already difficult housing situation.

“I don’t want to get emotional, but yeah, it saved me from foreclosure twice in the past eight years. And no, I’m not getting rich off of it at all. It’s helping me make ends meet,” said Jason Mondesir-Caeser, a small property owner from Brooklyn.

The law passed by the City Council last January established new rules, including the requirements of hosts to register their rental with the city.

It also requires that hosts understand and comply with complicated local zoning and building codes or face steep fines.

Hosts say the new law is flawed and cumbersome even for those who are trying to comply with the rules.

Airbnb said that out of over 1,400 applications received, so far only 121 have been approved.

“We just know from everyone’s word of mouth, that there is a significant backlog so we’re all concerned that September [fifth] is going to come and we’re not going to have any significant updates from the city and we’re going to be left hanging,” said David Feller, who has updated his listing to meet the regulations of the new rules.

Hosts also say they are an integral part of the local economy, generating tens of thousands in profits for businesses.

They also note that many of them provide a cost effective accommodation compared to pricey hotels.

“The bar across the street. The 20, 30 restaurants in the area, they love getting these guests. And these are folks who could not afford a hotel if one existed in the outer boroughs, and they don’t,” said Anne, a longtime Brooklyn homeowner who says she mostly rents to grandmothers, teachers and newlyweds.

The city has said that the goal of the law is to shut down bad actors who have been illegally operating for years and also free up much needed housing stock.

But hosts say the law is hurting small property owners who need the revenue.

“We are not egregious investors holding ten, fifteen and twenty listings and jacking up the prices and making this city unaffordable,” added Feller.

The rules were set to be enforced in July, but last month Airbnb and three hosts sued the city alleging the law setup a de facto ban on short-term rentals across the city.

The city has agreed to delay enforcement until September.

It’s unclear if the City Council is considering any legislation that would change the law.

However, for any amendments to be made to the rules, a new bill would need to be introduced and go through the legislative process once more.