Paris tightens regulations for Airbnb

Hosts in the French capital have to apply for an official registration number from now on in order to rent out their private accommodations via Airbnb or other internet platforms such as Homelidays or Abritel. In addition, they are limited to renting out their places to a maximum of 120 days per year.

Deputy Mayor Ian Brossat considers the transformation of private housing into accommodations for tourists or business travelers in the city as increasingly worrying. Over the past five years, this has led to an estimated 20,000 apartments being withdrawn from the already strained Parisian rental market. "We want to stop this bloodletting," Brossats said.

Paris is one of the main markets for the US rental platform Airbnb worldwide. A total of about 65,000 accommodations are offered here.

German cities such as Berlin and Munich are also fighting the misappropriation of housing properties. Anyone renting out their apartment illegally to tourists in Munich must expect fines up to 500,000 euros. In Berlin, offering private apartments as a holiday home without a special permission has been forbidden since 2016. However, individual rooms may also be rented out via platforms such as Wimdu or Airbnb.

fm/lw/eg (AFP, dpa)