2023-05-02 19:28:16
They come from different backgrounds but carry the same fight. This Tuesday, May 2, four elected officials from different political sides launched a cross-partisan initiative to demand stricter supervision of short-term tourist rentals. Seven measures were presented. The objective: to push the government to act on the subject, at the fiscal, regulatory and legislative levels.
« It is urgent to regulate “, insists Max Brisson, senator Les Républicains des Pyrénées-Atlantiques. For him, as for the three other parliamentarians who are members of the initiative, the use of digital rental platforms – such as Airbnb – contributes to the multiplication of the number of short-term rentals at the expense of long-term rentals. ” In the Basque Country, nearly 600 homes disappear each year “, worries the chosen one. This phenomenon results in the rise in rents in tourist towns and regions. A set of factors which accentuates the housing crisis, while 4.1 million people are not or badly housed in France.
« Very recently, a woman from Normandy explained to us that she could not join her spouse because she could not find any available accommodation, is alarmed Julien Bayou, also a member of the initiative. We are at this level of difficulty. ” On his constituency of 3e district of Paris, the ecologist deputy counts 30 times more tourist rental offers than long-term rentals. ” The Basque Country, the island of Oléron and Paris III have little in common except for the deleterious impact of furnished tourist accommodation “, he adds.
Seven proposals and a platform
To meet this challenge, parliamentarians invite local elected officials to join their call by signing their online platform unveiled on Tuesday morning. ” The idea is to weigh in on the government in order to push it to quickly take up the subject », explains Julien Bayou.
Among their proposals, the abolition of the “tax niche” enjoyed by owners of rented accommodation “in furnished tourist accommodation”. 71% of property income from these rents is not taken into account in taxes. ” Today, it is more advantageous to rent seasonally than long-term “, annoys Max Brisson who denounces a speculative effect among some of the owners, responsible for the soaring real estate prices.
« It is necessary to restore symmetry, even to put in place a reinforced asymmetry “says the senator. On April 28, a bill aimed at reforming the tax niche for furnished tourist accommodation – reducing the level of allowances in tight areas to 50% or 30% – was tabled on April 28 by an elected member of the majority.
Extend legislation
The parliamentarians also want to limit the number of authorized rental nights to 90 – against 120 currently – and then extend this measure to all second homes. ” Today, there are people who set up dozens of rentals, observe Julien Bayou. We miss the point. »
Another key measure: prohibit the rental of thermal colanders via tourist platforms. Since January 2023, housing with high energy consumption has been prohibited on the traditional real estate market but accessible as furnished tourist accommodation. An aberration for the Green MP: “ we lose on all counts: the accommodations are not renovated and they are placed on Airbnb. »
The full list of parliamentarians’ demands is available on their platform. ” These are requests that come from the field », insists Julien Bayou who specifies that the objective is not to fight against tourism. ” That’s not the question, he insists. What we denounce is those who take advantage of these digital platforms to engage in financial speculation. »
For its part, the Ministry of Housing recalls that several measures to mitigate this phenomenon are being developed. Among the latter, the extension of the number of municipalities authorized to increase the housing tax on second homes from 1is January 2024. An interministerial working group dedicated to furnished tourist accommodation must also deliver its conclusions by the summer.
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