Illegal tourist rentals: a property owner and her concierge service fined €440.000 in Paris

In four decisions dated July 10, the Paris court, seized by the City, ruled that the multi-owner had transformed four residential units into furnished tourist accommodations "without prior authorization", as required by the Paris city hall.

These apartments, located in the 7th and 8th arrondissements of Paris, have been rented out as tourist accommodations since 2022 for three of them and 2023 for the last one. All four listings were still active at the beginning of June, at the time of the hearing.

The city of Paris, which has a team specializing in monitoring tourist rentals, estimates that the total revenue collected between 2022 and 2024 exceeds 410.000 euros.

"For too long, some have prioritized profitability over the right to housing," reacted Paris's Socialist mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, in a statement sent to AFP. "Every home recovered is a victory for Parisians who want to live in their city."

The court also fined the real estate company mandated to manage the bookings 220.000 euros. "As a professional in real estate and seasonal rental management, it could not have been unaware of the applicable regulations," the decision explained.

For the Paris city hall, "this is the first time a concierge service has been fined in Paris, made possible by the Echaniz-Le Meur law, which now allows concierge services to be sanctioned in the same way as their clients."

"This decision targeting a concierge company calls for others" and is "another strong signal to the professionals in the furnished tourist rental market who are emptying Paris of its residents," emphasizes Jacques Baudrier, the Communist Party deputy mayor of Paris, in charge of housing. He estimates the number of illegal tourist rentals in Paris at 25.000.

The court also orders that the apartments be put back on the long-term rental market within one month, under penalty of having to pay 1.000 euros per day of delay, per apartment.