Developer bans Airbnb-style rentals in new French homes
The property developer hopes the move will ensure year-round accommodation for residents
Future owners will not be allowed to rent out their homes to tourists on platforms like Airbnb
Daniel Krason // Shutterstock
A property developer in south-east France has forbidden future owners from renting out their homes to tourists on platforms such as Airbnb.
Benjamin Combey, general manager of Primalp, a property developer in Annecy (Haute-Savoie), hopes the move will ensure year-round accommodation for residents.
There are already some 3,000 furnished flats advertised on such websites in Haute-Savoie, reports Capital.
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Mr Combey said his solution is a ban on short-term rentals in the co-ownership regulations of his new development in the heart of Annecy, due to be delivered in 2025.
He concedes that, legally, this ban could be changed later by the co-owners at a general meeting. However, Mr Combey believes that the majority rules that apply will serve to maintain the ban in the long term rather than overthrow it. It is then up to the co-owners and the syndic to enforce the rule.
While some buyers have subsequently given up their purchase, he says others have been reassured that they are less likely to be disturbed by noisy rental neighbours.
Mr Combey intends to extend the rule to other housing projects managed by his company.
Read more: The French tourist cities taking a stand against Airbnb-style lets
This should involve "150 homes per year" within the department, he told France Bleu.
However, not all his properties will be affected: "We will avoid doing it in resorts because it is difficult to stop owners who pay a lot of money for their flats from renting them out.”
A number of other French cities in tourist hotspots have been taking a stand against short-term holiday rentals,
In Saint-Malo, for example, the mayor recently introduced caps on how many holiday lets are permitted within different areas of the city.
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