In Paris, fines for renting apartments through Airbnb have increased 10 times
Last year, as RFI notes, the total amount of fines was 200,000 euros. According to the city hall, in 2017, 128 apartments were illegally rented through Airbnb, while a year earlier – only 42.
“These figures do not indicate an increase in the number of apartments being rented out. They only speak to our effective work,” said Deputy Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo Ian Brossat.
He also emphasized that the court has become stricter towards Airbnb landlords. The maximum fine this year was 50,000 euros, which is twice as much as in 2016. In Paris, landlords were fined an average of 20,000 euros.
Paris, like all tourist cities, is thus fighting against illegal rental of housing by private individuals to tourists, which seriously harms the hotel business and reduces revenues to the city budget.
“We intend to continue fighting against illegal rental of housing,” Ian Brossat said in a comment to AFP. To this end, the housing department has formed a team of 25 people who will monitor apartment buildings. In early July, the Paris City Council voted to introduce mandatory registration numbers for anyone wishing to rent out housing through Airbnb. The maximum rental period for tourist accommodation in Paris is 120 days. However, soon the Paris city hall plans to reduce the allowable periods.
For Airbnb, an online platform for short-term rental of private housing, Paris is one of the largest global markets. Today, the company offers 65,000 apartments in the French capital.