To combat illegal tourist accommodation, key boxes banned in Paris

Rue de Cléry (2nd arrondissement), in the heart of Paris, a municipal police officer affixes a sticker with the current date on a scrap metal key box hanging from a barrier. "The owners have 15 days to remove it," explains the PCF deputy to the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

After this period, the object "is considered abandoned and automatically removed from the street furniture by section of the chain link", details the municipal decree which has prohibited since January 24 the "fixing of key boxes" on the city's "street furniture".

This measure is part of a "battle to win back the 25.000 illegal furnished tourist accommodations" in the capital, according to Jacques Baudrier, which can be found on platforms such as Airbnb and whose "key boxes are an extremely clear signal", he explains.

The elected official estimates the number of these receptacles "at several hundred in the streets of Paris".

In a statement, Airbnb said it has "no tolerance for the illegal practice of placing key boxes in public spaces."

"The platform reminds the host community of the applicable rules, such as this ban," assures the company.

For Ariel Weil, the mayor of Paris Centre, it is necessary to "cut the evil at the root to prevent it from developing as in other cities", referring in particular to Marseille, "invaded by key boxes", which has already adopted this ban.

Ariel Weil reminds us that "public space cannot be privatized."

Municipal police officers and individuals can report these boxes on the city's "DansMaRue" application.

Paris has "95.000 addresses of furnished tourist accommodation" of which "25.000 are rented by illegal multiple owners", according to Jacques Baudrier, which is leading to a loss in the number of accommodations available for traditional rental and an increase in rents.

"We will not let anything pass, knowing that the legislation is finally on our side, 10 years later," proclaims the deputy for housing.

Since January 1, 2025, the City of Paris has lowered the ceiling for renting a primary residence from 120 to 90 days and strengthened its sanctions, under a law passed on November 19 giving municipalities new tools to combat the explosion of furnished tourist accommodation such as Airbnb.