A commando of Marseillais exasperated by too many Airbnbs are tagging buildings and even stealing the keys!

In the famous Panier district in Marseille, a collective directly from the population is claiming crimes against housing or buildings housing Airbnb rentals.

If in New York, we fight against the phenomenon of Airbnb accommodation through legal arguments, in Marseille, it is the residents who take things “in hand”, it is true to say so. This weekend, the very colorful Panier district was the scene of an operation carried out by a mysterious self-proclaimed group “Les Marseillais du centre-ville”, which happens to be firmly opposed to the proliferation of short-term rentals via platforms like Airbnb. The collective showed its opposition in a funny way.

The Marseillais strike hard against Airbnb

A few days ago, the group “Les Marseillais du centre-ville” carried out an operation against Airbnb and the world of short-term rentals. The latter claims the theft of 40 key boxes, these boxes which contain the keys to the rented apartments, in addition to the deterioration of 21 of them. Tags also appeared on the facades of buildings.

The objective of the collective, through this action which can be described as criminal, is to protest against the alleged influence of Airbnb on the rise in real estate prices, generating, it is true, a real scarcity of housing in the oldest district of Marseille, but also in other corners of the Marseille city, where rent prices have jumped since the pandemic.

But while some residents of Le Panier clearly support the anti-Airbnb group, particularly because of the nuisance caused, others believe that tourism remains essential to the economic life of the neighborhood, even if they fear that the expansion of Airbnb also compromises access to housing in Marseille.

The population remains divided between the need for tourist activity and the limitation of Airbnb type accommodation

Manager of a concierge service which works directly with Airbnb, Noël was affected by the group’s action, since one of his key boxes was stolen. The latter nevertheless remains pragmatic in the face of the situation. He plans to change his method of handing over keys, favoring the relay point.

What is Marseille town hall doing? The City wants to limit short-term rentals, which is common knowledge, but it is currently blocked by the regulations in force, which makes its task complex. And the debate between the need for housing for local residents and the importance of tourism continues to be divisive.

For Julien, owner of a well-known boutique in Le Panier, it is necessary to “ find a happy medium » between Airbnb rentals and hotels. The challenge lies in finding a balanced solution for all stakeholders involved. Except that as is often the case, in Marseille, where self-management is cultural, nothing goes as planned.

Source : RMC