The Chamonix valley votes for restrictions against furnished tourist accommodation

The community council of the valley, which brings together the municipalities of Chamonix, Les Houches, Vallorcine and Servoz, all four classified as "tense areas" since August 2023, unanimously voted for a deliberation to this effect, which will come into force on 1 May 2025.

The valley thus becomes "the first mountain area in France to limit the number of tourist rentals to encourage year-round accommodation", she welcomes.

The text provides that for each property subject to short-term rentals, the owner must request a registration number and authorization for a limited period from their municipality. In addition, the number of furnished rentals will be limited to one property per individual in Chamonix and Les Houches and two properties in Servoz, according to a press release.

The new rule only concerns natural persons initially but the data collected will then make it possible to take additional measures targeting legal entities, notes the community council.

A caution which can be explained by the fact that these entities, "which constitute the majority of multi-owners" and can be real estate managers, real estate agencies or even concierge services, have the "financial means to seek recourse "legal, we emphasize at the Chamonix town hall.

“There is a risk that the regulation will be attacked,” we note at the town hall, recalling the setback suffered last year by the city of Annecy which sought to impose quotas on furnished tourist accommodation.

According to data collected in 2023 via the tourist tax, legal entities own around a third of the approximately 3.500 furnished properties listed in Chamonix. In the valley, their number increased from 2.700 to 4.000 in four years and the rental market price reached 30 euros/m2 and the acquisition oscillated between 10.000 and 18.000 euros/m2, according to the press release.

For the mayor of Chamonix Eric Fournier, the phenomenon of change in use of property over the last two years is “something that is happening much faster than us”. “There is an absolute necessity for us to rebalance the number of permanent housing compared to housing intended for rental,” he explained to AFP.

The elected official also calls for a resumption of debates on a bill aimed at strengthening the regulation of furnished accommodation, interrupted by the dissolution of the National Assembly.