Protests in Brittany over high number of second homes and Airbnbs
A collective is denouncing the ‘active, aggressive promotion of second homes’ which represent 70% of properties in some communes
Activists in Brittany say that the region is suffering from too many empty homes over the winter (stock image for illustration only)
Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock
A collective in Brittany has occupied an entire building of Airbnb rentals in protest at what they say are too-high numbers of short-term rentals and second homes in the region.
The activists from the Unvaniezh Demokratel Breizh - Union Democratique Bretonne (UDB) also pasted posters reading “Résidence secondaire (second home)” on closed shutters of many second homes in the area, and posted the photos on social media.
The posters are intended to show that these homes are only occupied during the summer, and remain shuttered all winter.
The group has also launched a petition against the rising number of second homes in the region, and is calling for the closure of the website MaDeuxiemeMaison.fr. This is a property website designed to help people find second homes, run by regional bank Caisse d’Epargne Bretagne-Pays de la Loire.
So far, the petition has gathered more than 7,000 signatures.
“We are looking at the active, aggressive promotion of second homes,” said Tifenn Siret, spokesperson for the UDB, to BFMTV. “When this site first came out in 2021, there was a whole advertising campaign in local newspapers.”
She said that there are 300,000 second homes in Brittany, which leads to many areas being “high-tension” for housing supply, “where working people cannot find a place to live”.
Around 12% of residences in Brittany are second homes, figures show. In some communes, such as Carnac, 70% of properties are second homes. There, the price per square metre of property has now risen as high as €6,000, in comparison to a regional average of €2,800.
‘No more local services’
This also ends up being counterproductive for the second homeowners, said Ms Siret.
“Paradoxically, for the second-home owners, this means that there are no longer any local services, because the people who would work there during the high season cannot find anywhere to live,” she said.
Another protest from the collective saw crosses installed on a beach, in the style of graves, with the names of communes written on them, along with the commune’s percentage of second homes.
These include:
Damgan, 74%
Ile d'Houat, 63%
Sauzon, 61%
Locmariaquer, 61%
Saint-Lunaire, 60%
When contacted, Caisse d’Epargne Bretagne-Pays de la Loire defended its website, saying that its work primarily focuses on main residences.
“Of the 12,000 estate agent projects [we managed] in 2023, only 200 related to second homes, a proportion of 1.6%,” it said in a statement. “We are not the ones who dictate the market, the buyer does.”
Read also: MPs propose further crackdown on short-term rentals on France
Read also: Tourism tax: €148m paid to French communes from Airbnb stays in 2022
Some communes and cities are now bringing in more restrictive laws against short-term rentals, including in the Ile de Ré and Saint Malo. Similarly, individual communes now have added authorisation to increase property taxes on second homes..
Read also: The French tourist cities taking a stand against Airbnb-style lets
Read also: Tax differences between main and second homes in France
