It’s a big blow to the head that this Parisian client of the Airbnb platform has just taken on the head. The latter was demanded by the court the tidy sum of 189,000 euros, for non-compliance with Parisian legislation which has governed the activity of furnished property rental company since 2018.
Located in the VIIe district of the capital, the owner of the apartment in question, also associated with a concierge service, had not complied with the specific rules put in place since 2018 for rentals of this type.
Concretely, it is necessary to obtain the authorization of the municipality to transform a second home into short-term tourist rental in cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants, but also in the departments of Hauts-de-Seine (92), Seine -Saint-Denis (93) and Val-de-Marne (94). In addition, if it is a main residence, Airbnb hosts can only rent their property for a maximum of 120 days per year.
“Disproportionate” increase in announcements of individual rooms
In this case, the owner of the property assured that it was a main residence, without providing sufficient evidence, according to the court.
Since the beginning of 2022, the Paris city hall has recovered more than 2 million euros with legal actions of this type.
The rental of apartments or entire homes is not, however, the strong trend observed at the moment by Airbnb. Mid-week, Airbnb said it saw a “disproportionate” 31% rise in single room listings on its platform in the third quarter.
46% of Airbnb hosts use rental income to buy food
The reason ? More and more people are looking for additional income in the face of the cost of living crisis. “We’ve found that many people are more interested in accommodation than before to help with the cost of living,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s chief executive. The company has accordingly released an update to its app to make this process easier.
46% of hosts on Airbnb use rental income to buy food and other items, while 10% say it helps them avoid eviction or foreclosure, the company reports. citing a survey.
On a more strategic level, Brian Chesky has also announced that he wants to refocus the activities of his company on its business know-how, namely housing rentals and guarantees for guests. “We’re going into a recession, if we’re not there already,” justified Brian Chesky, referring to soaring real estate prices and the slowdown in the global economy. “We have to help people earn money” by renting all or part of their accommodation, “because we know that for many, rent or mortgage is a major expense,” he recalls.
Another novelty intended to reassure future hosts: the platform now offers to verify the identity of all travelers who book in the 35 most active countries on Airbnb.