As is already the case for Nice, Aix-en-Provence, Cassis and Marseille, homeowners in a number of French Riviera towns now have to register their short-term rental properties with their local mairie or town hall if they want to continue welcoming guests via Airbnb.
“Hosts in these communes will no longer be able to list their properties on the Airbnb site unless they display their registration number obtained from the mairie in their advert,” explains Zakary Garaudet from the French branch of Airbnb communications. “Property owners can apply in just a few simple steps, free of charge, on the municipality’s website.”
In total, 11 towns have joined the ranks of 130 other French destinations subject to the obligatory registration system. New for the Alpes-Maritimes are Menton, Roquebrune-Cap Martin and Saint Paul de Vence. In the Var: Bandol, Le Castellet, Roquebrune sur Argens and Saint Cyr sur Mer. In the Bouches du Rhône: Istres, Martigues, Port Saint Louis du Rhône and Saint Cannat.
The registration process will apply to those wishing to rent out their primary residence as well as second homeowners. Hosts renting out a room or a portion of their property are unaffected.
The change will allow authorities to better manage the number of short-term rentals, an issue in a number of French Riviera towns where there is a shortage of long-term properties available on the market, and ensure all relevant legislation is being abided by. There is currently a limit of 120 days per calendar year for rentals of primary residences while second homeowners must apply for a ‘change of use’ authorisation from their town hall in order to legally rent out the property.
Airbnb has also created an online tool that allows towns to monitor rentals and capitalise on tourism in their local area, with particular attention paid to economic activity and visitor trends.
The full list of towns and cities subject to the registration order, please visit: https://www.airbnb.fr/d/enregistrement.
Photo credit: Angelo Jesus for Unsplash