Paris officials say they are seeing far fewer violations of rules around short-term rentals such as Airbnb, as judges levy higher fines for violations, making it less profitable for owners to rent illegally.
Airbnb and similar rentals are legal for people who rent out their primary residence for no more than 120 days in a year and register with the local town hall. Second homes can't be rented out at all.
Ian Brossat, Paris deputy mayor responsible for housing, told press that ten years ago fines for violating the rules were usually about €500, but that these days the average fine is €31,000 and can go higher. He said that there are 65 recorded violations in the first half of 2023, with fines of about €500,000. Last year, there were 370 violations, although some of those were pending from the year before.
He told FrancInfo that "The city's goal is to say 'yes' to occasional rentals, so that property owners can earn some extra money during events like the Olympic Games, but we do not want to encourage professional rentals and the predatory economy that comes with them, which turns housing into year-round tourist rentals."
Despite the increased enforcement, there are still calls to reconsider the 120-day allowance and perhaps reduce it in areas where housing is in short supply.
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