Comedian's Satirical Housing Platform Draws Real Interest Amid NYC Tax Debate

A joke website created by comedian Madison Walser to help wealthy owners dodge New York's pied-à-terre tax has attracted thousands of artist applications and a handful of legitimate property owners, prompting her to explore turning the gag into a real service.

Madison Walser, a stand-up comic who splits her time between New York and Los Angeles, built the website Aura Investments as a parody of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's luxury-home tax, proposing that artists occupy vacant units to let owners sidestep the levy. The absurd pitch resonated, generating close to 4,000 artist applications and about 25 inquiries from property owners, of which eight or nine appear genuine. Walser is now attempting to give the concept legal footing, hiring a lawyer and looking for a partner to manage background checks, lease agreements, and tenant rights.

She envisions either charging owners a fee equal to 10% of the tax they would owe or having artists cover utilities while living rent-free. The city’s Department of Finance has cautioned that leases created solely to avoid the tax would be unenforceable, a warning Walser acknowledges could undermine the idea. Nonetheless, she hopes to pilot the model with a single match and is eyeing similar opportunities beyond Manhattan, including potential use of California’s upcoming commercial vacancy tax. The effort frames itself as modern patronage, likening the arrangement to historic art sponsorship.