Airbnb: an internship does not allow circumventing rental limits, rules the Court of Cassation

This student had sublet her Parisian accommodation for more than 400 nights between 2019 and 2020, well "beyond the limit of 120 days per year" then imposed by the city of Paris (since lowered to 90) for main residences, the Court detailed in its decision.

She rejected the student's arguments that the subletting had taken place during internships and studies abroad, which should be considered "professional obligations".

There are indeed some exceptions to the 120-day limit, in cases of "professional obligation", "health reasons" or "force majeure".

However, "following a school or university course of study or completing an internship within the framework of such a course" is "not sufficient to characterize a professional obligation", the Court of Cassation ruled.

This decision overturns the previous ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal, which had sided with the student. The case will have to be retried.

Contacted by AFP, the deputy mayor for housing in Paris, Jacques Baudrier, welcomed a "precedent-setting" decision that "will prevent larger multi-property owners from exploiting a loophole" to engage in illegal rentals on Airbnb.

For several years the city of Paris has been pursuing a policy aimed at regulating the number of tourist accommodations in the capital, which are accused of reducing the supply of housing available for residents, whose numbers are decreasing every year.