Regulation of furnished tourist accommodation: hoteliers satisfied, Airbnb a little less

On Tuesday, October 29, hoteliers welcomed the text adopted by the joint committee the day before, aimed at better regulating the market for furnished tourist accommodation such as Airbnb, with the American group "regretting" new restrictions.

This was the last step before final adoption of this transpartisan bill, after several months of debate. The Senate should adopt the text on November 5 and the Assembly on the 7th.

"The parliamentarians and the government have grasped the urgency of the situation by quickly convening the joint committee. This text constitutes a balanced response to the needs of our fellow citizens and to the economic imperatives of the hotel sector," said Véronique Siegel, president of the hotel branch of Umih, the leading employers' organization in the sector, in a press release.

The text provides in particular for generalizing the registration number for all furnished accommodation (main and secondary residence), for requiring the lessor to provide proof of ownership and for giving mayors the possibility of lowering the rental threshold from 120 to 90 days per year for main residences.

"It is the feeling of having finally been heard that predominates. This text represents a major step forward for better supervision and has an impact not only on the tourist ecosystem, but on the life of the city", rejoiced Patrick Hayat, president of the Association for Professional Tourism (Atop), a think tank for tourism professionals.

Aibnb, whose second largest market is France, is present in more than 29.000 municipalities in the country.

The group deplored this proposed law, in a statement sent to AFP: "We regret the addition of measures targeting occasional rentals which will have no effect on the imbalances in the rental market. Although we do not anticipate a significant impact on our business, the reduction in the frequency with which French people can rent out their homes for short periods risks harming many families."

The platform stresses that while the current legislative framework allows 4.000 French cities to take measures to regulate short-term rentals - such as change of use with or without compensation or registration - "only 350 cities have taken action in recent years".

Believing that "this measure will not bring housing back into the real estate portfolio", Airbnb says it supports "the implementation of proportionate rules in many cities in France".