Sarastro

I don´t think that anyone wants to dictate where someone stays. What is important is that one´s choice is an informed choice. Paris is indeed cracking down on short term vacation rentals, most of which are illegal.

There is no law against advertising any type of apartment and that only apartment owners are fined for not registering their vacation rentals with the city.

The greatest danger to the consumer is that the apartment you think you have rented for your vacation, may be suddenly withdrawn or that a specific property, to which you may want to return, may no longer be on the market.

manouche

howland - You're right - because of the apartment craze that began around 2008, everybody just assumed it was OK because nobody said otherwise. Most guidebooks, internet and blogs all say that it's absolutely the only way to visit a city and live like a local. Everybody does it so it must be OK. That was true in the past, but no longer applies in Paris.

There is NOT a lot of widespread information about the illegality of vacation rentals in Paris but the same could be said for San Francisco, Hawaii, New York, New Orleans, Barcelona, London and other cities trying to ban this practice. And that's because advertisers like HomeAway, VRBO, AirBnB and TripAdvisor spend huge amounts of money making sure their product is front and center. But if you Google "vacation rentals legal in XXXX city" you will find loads of interesting articles. Since more cities are thinking about banning vacation rentals, it would be a good idea to do this research in any city you're considering.

The majority of short-term vacation rentals have been illegal in Paris for years, but as the number of them grew to the point where they adversely affected residential housing and the government was losing important tax revenue, the Mayor's office decided to take serious action. The official crackdown began in early 2009. Unfortunately, it takes time for accurate news to travel, especially when it involves a topic that many people do not find acceptable or will have a negative effect on their bank accounts.

In Paris, there is no way for a renter to know for certain if the person listing the rental owns the apartment, lives there full-time and has the legal right to rent it. There is no way to know when or if an apartment will be cancelled at the last minute for any reason. As in any product purchased sight unseen via the internet, you might or might not get what you paid for, or might lose your investment due to a scam artist.

Many people who frequent travel forums report always renting in Paris with no problems whatsoever. Reports from others who have been less fortunate are more difficult to find, due to search-engine options on travel forums and repression of negative reviews on websites.

Bottom line - in Paris, if you need a kitchen and a little more space, book a legal apart'hotel like Citadines, Adagio, the Helzear, the Prince Regent. Some locations are more reasonably priced than others and there are internet specials available. If you need laundry service, there are efficient, inexpensive, clean coin laundries in any neighborhood. Beware of "apart'hotels" that do not include front desk service and require you to receive a key in the mail or from someone who will greet you at the apartment. These are most commonly illegal rentals in disguise.

Otherwise, there are more than 6000 hotels in Paris. The majority of them are centered in the most desirable neighborhoods for tourists. Many of them have family rooms that can sleep 3 to 4 people in one room and adjoining rooms are available for those who need more bathrooms. The overwhelming majority of them are clean and have what you need for a nice visit, including air conditioning and mini-fridges. They are also easy to book, and many offer free cancellation if you change your mind.

Most people do not need to stay in a rental during their visit to Paris. Clever marketing and social media have made this seem like it's the only way to go. But people have been visiting Paris for hundreds of years without "living like a local". They will certainly continue to do so.

pariswat

Good posts above.
on top of what has been said, a good way to spot an illegal rental is if the renter asks to be paid in cash.

iris1745

Indeed, that is a good post for one side of the story.

This is now part of the other side of the story.

And I understand both sides can be presumed prejudicial.

This info has been talked about and now it's official.

Does it seem like Paris and Airbnb are attempting to work together?

http://publicpolicy.airbnb.com/airbn...e-destination/

Sarastro

<i>This is now part of the other side of the story.</i>


Exactly what are these <i>sides of the story</i>? It´s very easy to understand; either your are renting a legal apartment or you are not.

As for the airbnb story posted, it has almost nothing to do with renting illegal apartments in Paris and everything to do with airbnb´s responsibility to collect and forward the <i>taxe de séjour</i> which, in violation of the law, airbnb has never done.

pariswat

Good !
So Airbnb is cooperating.

Now authorities will have info about where the tax has been collected, for how many nights, from whom.

It will normally simplify the task of the inspectors who must enforce ALUR law.

What will be owners in violation with the law now do ?
Stop renting ? Make investment, change the appartment into a commercial appartment and comply or sell out and look for something else or stay in the illegality, with or without Airbnb.

And start paying taxes on their rental revenues, which would mean a dramatic drop in their revenues or a hie in the price of the rentals (what hotels are hoping for) ?

manouche

The FATCA banking regulations have already taken care of a lot of illegal rentals, since people with bank accounts now have to give much more detail to the government about where the cash comes from or find much more creative ways to hide it. Several banks in Paris just lowered the limit for weekly cash deposits to 1000 euros, so that will be inconvenient for people taking rental fees in cash. The new rent control law will probably impact agencies a little more since they are more visible than individuals. In Paris, AirBnB has only agreed to require their clients to collect the taxe de sejour. AirBnB's stance has always been that it is up to the individual to declare and pay appropriate tax on revenue since all they provide is paid advertising which doesn't break any laws. The same can be said for any other agency listing vacation rentals. Individual property owners can be held responsible for breaking the law, whether they are aware it exists or not.

Paris_Attitude

Paris is a great city to spend the summer holidays.