France: A recent data report from AirDNA shows that the French capital, Paris, has seen a significant drop in the number of Airbnb rental listings, while the rest of France has reported an increase over the past year .
The fall in rentals in Paris was revealed in a recent trend report by AirDNA, a website that reports rental service data. Overall, the report indicates that Airbnb held on throughout the pandemic, but trends show customers looking to stay away from big cities like Paris in favor of more remote areas. For the study, AirDNA compiled data that compares the listings from February 2021 to February 2020.
The report states, “From January to June 2020, Airbnb lost 5% of its total listings, but has since recovered and grown 2.5% from pre-pandemic levels.”
In contrast, active listings in Paris fell 3.2% and overall listings fell 23%. Cities like Amsterdam, New York, Toronto and Beijing have seen even more drastic enrollment declines. For Paris and for France, the report reflects a desire to escape from the capitals for fear of closures, and instead opting for small towns and rural areas.
In response, Parisian estate agents began putting rentals on the market for sale. Health issues and strict Airbnb Parisian policies have affected operators. Hosts have been stuck with unsustainable bank payments throughout the pandemic due to the grip of international tourism, and AirDNA’s trends report is not the first to acknowledge this.
Frédéric Teboul, head of several Guy Hoquet Aleph agencies in Paris, told Forbes: “We have more and more sales people on this case. The bank agreed to freeze their credit for a few months, but they had to start repaying again and, without tourists, they can’t make it.
Following the conclusion of its IPO in DecemberAirbnb has sought to tighten its control over short-term rentals by excluding members who have not registered with their local authorities, as tighter restrictions increasingly apply to popular tourist destinations across France which have a strong Airbnb presence, such as Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux.
From now on, Airbnb hosts in the country will have to display their official registration number on all their listings. Those who do not comply will be subject to additional measures that may be imposed by the home-sharing platform, including blocking all bookings for the foreseeable future.
According to current regulations, hosts in Paris are allowed to rent their accommodation on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb for a maximum of 120 days per calendar year.
Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris since 2014, voiced her criticism of Airbnb, telling the French weekly, The Sunday newspaperof his displeasure was with Parisians who “treat shared accommodation like a business, rather than those who only rent for a few days a year”.
Last year she announced its intention to hold a referendum on the short-term rental operations of Airbnb and other platforms in the city as part of its six-year plan to lead the post-Covid recovery. By organizing the non-binding referendum, the Franco-Spanish politician aimed to free up more residential accommodation in the capital, as she believed that many Paris residents were excluded from the rental market.
In the previous February, Paris sued the platform for posting 1,000 illegal rental ads in his citywhich would have cost the company more than 12.5 million euros, angering Hidalgo.
The French Ministry of Housing followed suit, urging these sites to work more closely with local authorities to avoid a repeat of the legal action, including the sharing of data and information.
However, the southern city of Nice just this week announced a ban on holiday rentals in the region during the February holidays, until February 20 at the earliest. Its mayor, Christian Estrosi, said the decision was taken to avoid a “large influx of people at risk” potentially carrying the Covid-19 virus and transmitting it to its citizens, and added that he wanted to enforce the ban across the entire department in the coming weeks.
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