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Paris May Soon Remove 43,000 Homes on AirBnb From the Website

Epic Stays
by Tim Wenger Apr 13, 2018

Renting an Airbnb for your next Paris visit could become a tall order, at least if the city has its way in an upcoming legal challenge. The city is following the lead of others like San Francisco, aiming to remove 43,000 listings that aren’t registered with the government and do not have a Tax ID.

Paris, France’s capital and largest tourist destination, already has a number of restrictions in place governing short-term rentals. Residents cannot rent their place for more than 120 days per calendar year, for example, and renters are subject to a forcefully imposed ‘tourist tax,’ in addition to city mandates that all short-term rentals be registered with the government.

The rules follow lobbying from hotel groups claiming that the site stands as unfair competition. Homes registered on the popular short-term rental site also must register with the government — a task that the city claims many fail to do. The city says that the approximately 43,000 homes which it is hoping to have removed from the site fail to meet this requirement.

Prior to booking a reservation, travelers to Paris are encouraged to make sure that the host has a local Tax ID number issued by the Parisian government. If they do, they are registered and are doing their part to follow regulations, and you can ensure your reservation won’t be revoked. If you can’t find this 13-digit number readily available on their listing page, your best bet is to move on to the next option.

If you’re headed to Paris this summer, take extra precaution to ensure that your AirBnB reservation will not be affected by any forthcoming decision. The main thing you can do is follow up with the host prior to arrival to confirm everything is still in place, or simply avoid the drama altogether by staying elsewhere until the case is settled.

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