Skip to content
AdminLanding
LoginSign up

Airbnb & short-term rental rules in France, for self-managing owners

AdminLanding Editorial

Night caps, a national registration number, an energy-performance floor, tourist tax, insurance and building rules — France's 2026 short-term-rental framework is strict but navigable without an agency. Answer five questions to see where your property stands. Accurate as of July 2026.

Can I legally rent short-term?

"Can I legally rent my French place short-term?" — 5-question check

Answer yes or no for the property you have in mind. Nothing is stored — this runs entirely in your browser.

1. Do you have a national registration number for this property (téléservice, mandatory since 20 May 2026)?

2. Is the property your résidence principale (you live there at least 8 months a year)?

3. If it is NOT your main home: is short-term letting authorised in your commune (no changement d'usage needed, or you hold the authorisation)?

4. Is the property's DPE class E or better (or is it your résidence principale, which is exempt)?

5. Do the building rules allow it — no exclusive residential-use clause, no two-thirds copropriété ban (or the property is not in a copropriété)?

0 of 5 answered — the verdict appears when all five are in.

Quick answer

In 2026, short-term letting in France requires: (1) a national registration number (mandatory everywhere since 20 May 2026, displayed on every listing); (2) respecting the résidence principale cap of 120 nights per year — 90 where the commune lowered it under the loi Le Meur; (3) for second homes in regulated communes, a changement d'usage authorisation (fines up to €50,000 without it); (4) energy compliance — new authorisations need DPE class E or better, and all non-primary tourist lets must reach class D by 2034; (5) collecting taxe de séjour on direct bookings; (6) insurance that actually covers paying guests; and (7) building rules — copropriétés can now ban tourist lets by a two-thirds majority. Income is taxed as BIC: 30% micro allowance up to €15,000 unclassified, 50% up to €77,700 classified. This page is information, not legal advice.

The rulebook, rule by rule

Everything below applies whether you list on Airbnb, Booking, Abritel or take direct bookings.

120/90-night cap (main home)

A résidence principale may be let short-term up to 120 nights per calendar year; the loi Le Meur lets communes lower this to 90. Platforms count and block automatically where registration data flows. Exceeding it: fine up to €10,000. Second homes have no cap — they face the authorisation layer instead.

Registration number

Mandatory nationwide since 20 May 2026 via the national téléservice, free, displayed on every ad. Platforms must reject ads without it. Fine up to €5,000.

Changement d'usage

In Paris, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, Annecy and other regulated communes, letting a second home short-term means converting housing to another use — authorisation required, sometimes with compensation. Any commune can now adopt the regime and set quotas. Fine up to €50,000 per property (Article L651-2 CCH).

DPE class E minimum (Le Meur)

New changement-d'usage authorisations require a DPE between A and E; all non-primary tourist lets must reach class D by 2034; résidences principales are exempt. Administrative fine up to €5,000. The January 2026 electricity-coefficient change reclassified many electric-heated homes upward — check before paying for works.

Taxe de séjour

Per adult per night, set by the commune. Platforms collect on their bookings; on direct bookings you collect, declare and remit yourself, with fines from €750 to €12,500 for failures. See the dedicated guide and calculator.

Insurance & building rules

Tell your insurer — standard multirisque habitation policies usually exclude paying guests; a PNO policy or short-term extension covers the gap, and platform host guarantees are a backstop, not insurance. In a copropriété, check the règlement: exclusive residential-use clauses exclude tourist lets, and a two-thirds majority can now ban them outright.

Renting to a tenant who then sublets on Airbnb? The tenant needs the landlord's written authorisation, and sublet rent cannot exceed the main rent pro-rata. As the owner, put your position in writing in the lease.

Frequently Asked Questions

Night caps, registration, DPE, copropriété and non-resident tax.

How many nights a year can I rent out my main home?
Up to 120 nights per calendar year for a résidence principale — the home you occupy at least 8 months a year — with exceptions for professional obligations, health reasons or force majeure. Since the loi Le Meur, communes can lower the cap to 90 nights; Paris and several tourist-pressure communes have done so. Exceeding the cap exposes you to a fine of up to €10,000, and platforms block bookings past the limit where the registration data flows.
Do I really need a registration number everywhere in France, even in a small village?
Yes. Since 20 May 2026, the declaration-with-registration applies in every commune, to every meublé de tourisme, main homes included (loi n° 2024-1039). Registration is free, done once through the national téléservice, and produces the number that must appear on every advertisement. Before that date, only communes that had opted in required it — that opt-in era is over.
My DPE is class F — can I still do short-term lets?
It depends on the property's status. A résidence principale let within the night cap is exempt from the tourist-let DPE requirement. For anything else: new changement-d'usage authorisations require class E or better, all non-primary tourist lets must reach class D by 2034, and letting non-compliant accommodation risks an administrative fine up to €5,000. Before budgeting works, re-check your class: the January 2026 electricity-coefficient change (2.3 → 1.9) lifted many electric-heated homes a class for free.
Can my copropriété ban Airbnb-style rentals?
Yes, more easily than before. A règlement with an exclusive bourgeois residential-use clause has long excluded tourist lets, and since the loi Le Meur a copropriété can ban meublés de tourisme by a two-thirds majority vote instead of unanimity. You must also notify the syndic of your registration. Read the règlement and the last AG minutes before listing — an injunction after you have taken bookings is the expensive scenario.
I live abroad — do I still owe French tax on my short-term rental income?
Yes. French-source rental income is taxable in France regardless of where you live. Short-term letting is a BIC activity: micro-BIC gives a 30% allowance up to €15,000 of receipts for unclassified accommodation (50% up to €77,700 for classified), or the régime réel deducts actual charges and depreciation. Non-residents file with the SIPNR and face a 20% minimum rate plus social levies. See our LMNP for non-residents guide and estimator for the full picture.

Related guides for short-term hosts

National registration

6-step compliance checklist

Taxe de séjour

Rates + free calculator

LMNP for non-residents

Micro-BIC vs réel estimator

France DPE 2026

Free class re-check

Sources — accurate as of July 2026

Important: AdminLanding is a technology platform, not a law firm. The five-question check and this page are general information as of July 2026, not legal advice, and commune-level rules differ. Before listing, confirm the position with your mairie, your syndic and, for your own situation, a professional or your local ADIL.

Self-manage your French short-term rental — in English

The only French rental app in English — first property free, 10 documents, no card. Bookings, compliance deadlines, tourist-tax records and French-compliant documents in one place.

Start free — no card
Available on
Google PlayApp Store

EU-hosted • Bilingual FR/EN interface • French-compliant documents

Your data is handled with strict protection and EU hosting practices.