French Short-Term Rental Rules for Non-Resident Owners
Dernière mise à jour : 24 juil.
French short-term rental rules for non-resident owners tightened significantly with the November 2024 law often called the loi Le Meur. If you let a flat in Paris, a villa on the coast or a chalet through Airbnb, Booking or direct bookings while living abroad, you must combine national registration, business formalities, local municipal rules, copropriété by-laws and French tax compliance.
This guide focuses on regulatory and practical steps for furnished tourist lets (meublés de tourisme). For income tax, micro-BIC thresholds and social levies, see our companion guide to Renting Out French Property as a Non-Resident.
Before you buy intending to short-let, ask a bilingual notaire to review copropriété by-laws in the deed pack. FrenchNotaires can match you free of charge with a vetted notaire, usually within about 48 hours, in person or by video.
What is a meublé de tourisme?
Under the French Tourism Code (article L324-1-1), a meublé de tourisme is furnished accommodation offered to transient guests who do not establish their main home there, typically let by the day, week or month. The guest has exclusive use; you are not present during the stay.
This category covers most Airbnb-style lets. It differs from a long-term furnished rental (location meublée to a tenant who lives there) and from unfurnished location vide. Misclassifying your activity can invalidate tax treatment and municipal authorisations.
Official guidance also distinguishes secondary-home holiday lets and, in some communes, letting part of your main home for short periods, each with different day limits.
Can non-residents run short-term lets?
Yes. French law does not prohibit non-residents from letting furnished tourist accommodation. You remain subject to the same registration, tax and local rules as resident owners, plus non-resident income-tax filing with the French non-residents service where applicable.
Living abroad adds friction: you need remote access to syndic mail, reliable local cleaners, insurance that covers vacancy, and often a French bank account for tax debits. None of that removes the legal obligations on the owner named on the title deed.
National registration (deadline May 2026)
Law n° 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024 (published 20 November 2024) creates a national registration system for meublés de tourisme. By 20 May 2026 at the latest, every furnished tourist let in France must be registered through a dedicated online service and receive a 13-digit registration number, whether the property is a main home, second home, classified or unclassified listing.
The number must appear on all advertisements, including platform listings and direct marketing. Platforms must verify numbers and may remove non-compliant ads.
For main-home lets, the law may require proof that the property is your residence (for example via a tax notice showing the address). Secondary-home owners register the holiday property itself. Procedures are deployed on the national portal; check service-public.fr for the live téléservice as communes transition from old local numbers.
Official penalties cited in government guidance include fines up to €10,000 for failure to register and up to €20,000 for false declarations or use of a fake number.
SIRET and business registration
Short-term furnished letting is a commercial activity for registration purposes. Within 15 days of starting, you must file a business start declaration on the Guichet unique (formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr) to obtain a SIRET number from INSEE.
You use the SIRET for French tax correspondence, professional space on impots.gouv.fr if you move to actual-cost BIC reporting, and sometimes for local business taxes (CFE, cotisation foncière des entreprises). Occasional letting of part of a personal home may qualify for CFE exemptions in narrow cases; repeated annual letting generally does not.
Non-residents can register but should confirm how the activity interacts with tax treaties and any business rules in their home country before scaling receipts.
Municipal rules and day caps
Communes retain strong local control. Before listing, check the mairie (town hall) rules for your address:
Prior declaration of a secondary-home meublé de tourisme (accusé de réception with a registration reference in many towns).
Day caps on letting your main residence to tourists (Paris historically used 120 days per year; the 2024 law allows communes to reduce the ceiling to 90 days).
Change of use authorisations in tense housing zones (zones tendues), where converting residential units to tourist use may need permission.
Classified tourism labels (stars) if you seek favourable tax allowances for classified meublés.
Exceeding authorised letting days can trigger civil fines (official sources cite up to €15,000 in serious cases). Rules differ street by street in Paris, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux and ski resorts: verify the commune, not only national law.
Copropriété bans and syndic duties
If the flat is in copropriété, read the règlement de copropriété before you buy or list. The 2024 law strengthens tools for co-owners to restrict or ban meublés de tourisme in the building, including votes at two-thirds majority in general meeting in situations defined by statute.
Once registered nationally, you must inform the syndic so co-owners are notified. Existing bans in by-laws remain enforceable; buying then listing may breach contract and expose you to syndic legal action.
See French Copropriété for Foreign Buyers and verify minutes for prior votes restricting short lets.
Platforms, display and penalties
Platforms such as Airbnb and Booking are required to collect and display valid registration numbers and to remove illegal listings. As owner you remain primarily responsible for compliance.
Each listing should show:
the 13-digit national registration number (once obtained);
accurate capacity and description;
copropriété status if applicable;
compliance with local day caps where you let all or part of a main home.
Periodic letting every summer without registration is not a loophole: repeated seasonal letting is treated as ongoing activity, not a one-off.
Tax and social charges (overview)
Tourist furnished lettings are taxed as BIC (business profits). For 2025 income (declared in 2026), micro-BIC rules for unclassified meublés de tourisme were tightened: gross receipts ceiling €15,000 with a 30% allowance (down from earlier thresholds). Classified meublés and chambres d'hôtes use different ceilings and a 50% allowance.
Exceeding micro limits for two consecutive years pushes many landlords into régime réel with form 2031 and a professional impots.gouv.fr space. Non-residents also face minimum income-tax rates on French source rent and social levies depending on treaty status.
Full detail, LMNP/LMP status and declaration deadlines are in Renting Out French Property as a Non-Resident.
Check copropriété rules before you list
A bilingual notaire can review by-laws and deed restrictions when you buy, before short-let investment plans collide with a building ban.
Find a Bilingual Notaire · Free matching · 48-hour response
DPE, insurance and occupancy
Short-term letting interacts with other owner obligations:
DPE: class F and G properties face letting restrictions under energy rules; listings must show valid energy data. See French Property Diagnostics for Foreign Buyers.
Insurance: hold PNO in copropriété (mandatory RC) and require tenant-style cover for any mid-term elements; see French Home Insurance for Non-Resident Owners.
Occupancy reporting: declare furnished use on impots.gouv.fr for local occupancy taxes where required alongside French Local Property Taxes for Non-Residents.
Checklist before you buy to let
Confirm copropriété minutes and by-laws allow tourist lets (or impose no ban).
Ask the mairie about registration, change-of-use and day caps for the address.
Check DPE class and renovation cost if F or G.
Model tax under 2025 micro-BIC rules versus régime réel.
Plan SIRET registration and national 13-digit number before May 2026 (or immediately if already letting).
Budget syndic charges, cleaning, platform fees, insurance and accountant support from abroad.
What your notaire can flag at purchase
The notaire does not register your Airbnb activity, but at purchase they deliver copropriété documents and diagnostics that reveal blockers: tourist bans, pending works, surface discrepancies, or legal change-of-use issues in tense zones.
Involve a notaire before the compromis if your investment case depends on short-term letting. Retrofitting compliance after a building vote to ban meublés de tourisme is expensive and sometimes impossible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can non-residents legally rent on Airbnb in France?
Yes, subject to national registration, SIRET business declaration, municipal rules, copropriété by-laws and French tax filing. Non-residence does not exempt you.
What is the Le Meur law?
Law n° 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024 strengthening regulation of meublés de tourisme: national registration, platform duties, copropriété tools and possible reduction of main-home letting day caps to 90 days.
When must I register my French holiday let?
By 20 May 2026 at the latest under the national system, with a 13-digit number on all ads. If you already let, monitor service-public.fr for the téléservice opening and transitional rules.
Do I need a SIRET for Airbnb income?
Yes. You must declare the activity on the Guichet unique within 15 days of starting to obtain a SIRET, even for a single secondary-home listing.
Can my copropriété ban short-term rentals?
Often yes, through by-laws or general meeting votes under strengthened 2024 rules. Check minutes and the règlement before buying or listing.
How many days can I let my Paris flat?
It depends on whether it is your main or secondary home and on current Paris municipal rules. National law allows communes to cap main-home tourist letting at 90 days per year. Verify with the mairie.
Are short-term rental taxes the same as long-term rent?
No. Tourist furnished lets use BIC rules with specific micro-BIC ceilings. Long-term unfurnished rent uses revenus fonciers. See our renting guide for detail.
Does the notaire register my Airbnb for me?
No. The notaire handles the property deed. Registration, SIRET and tax declarations are your separate obligations after purchase.
Buy with letting rules in mind
Verify copropriété and municipal constraints before you sign. FrenchNotaires can match you with a bilingual notaire within 48 hours, including through Notaire Paris and Notaire Nice.