AIRBNB
Paris rolls out tough new rule on Airbnb rentals
Paris authorities have rolled out a new rule forcing people renting out their properties on Airbnb to first register it with the City Hall.
Published: 29 November 2017 17:36 CET
Photo: Joseph Plotz/Wikicommons
As of December 1st, it will no longer be possible to rent out a Paris property on an online rental platform without it first being registered with the authorities.
Landlords have been able to register their properties with the Paris authorities since October 1st and from December 1st registration is obligatory.
This will affect several popular sites including Airbnb, Homelidays and Abritel, with all listings required to display a registration number.
“This obligation applies to all owners who rent furnished accommodation, including those who only rent out their main residence for a few weeks of the year,” said Maud Velter of real estate agency Lodgis, according to L'Express.
The new rule targets landlords flouting France's 120-day legal limit set for renting out primary residences.
It is believed it could also put an end to tenants putting their apartments on Airbnb without the permission of the owners.
City Hall is taking advantage of an update to France's internet laws that allow cities and towns with more than 200,000 residents to monitor the short-term rental market using registration numbers.
When the new rule was proposed in July, authorities said it would make it impossible to cheat the system, with rental platforms expected to fall into line and delete landlord profiles if they are found to be exceeding the legal limit.
This is a problem French authorities have been struggling with for some time, with a survey carried out at the end of 2015 finding that across France, 44 percent of the homes advertised on Airbnb were permanently available for rental.
Like a lot of big tourist cities, Paris has stepped up its initiatives to crack down on renting out properties to tourists illegally, which is threatening the country's hotel sector and encouraging real estate speculation.
The online rental industry is also linked with leaving certain areas of cities empty and is considered the root of daily disagreements around problems caused by people “moving in” temporarily.
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