Airbnb regulations in Strasbourg: key points for understanding everything
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To prevent any imbalance between residential lets and short-term accommodation, the Strasbourg authorities have recently tightened the regulations governing holiday lets in Strasbourg.
Although these regulations remain relatively flexible for those considering putting their property on Airbnb, it is a good idea to analyse these rules and their consequences in more detail in order to understand them better.
What are the two preliminary steps to launching my Airbnb accommodation in Strasbourg?
1. Check my co-ownership regulations
Make sure that the by-laws do not contain any explicit prohibitions on changing the use of your home.
If you have any doubts about this specific legal issue, please do not hesitate to contact our team.
2. Register my home with the Mairie to obtain a registration number
Registration is required to comply with the legal obligation set out in the French Tourism Code (article L324-1-1) and to facilitate the automatic deduction of the tourist tax by Airbnb.
This tax, paid by travellers at the time of booking, is then paid to the city on your behalf.
To obtain your registration number, you must submit form 14004 to the local council, which will return it to you with the specific number for your home.
What regulations apply to each type of investor?
When do I have to change the use of my home?
Is there a maximum rental period?
The answers to your questions are listed in the table below.
| Type of property | Mandatory change of use** |
Maximum annual rental days |
| Main residence | No | 120 days* |
| Secondary residence | Yes | No ceiling |
| Business premises | No | No ceiling |
*Article L324-1-1 of the Tourism Code
**The proportion of residential space in the building must remain greater than or equal to 60%, and the change of use is limited to a maximum of one per individual and/or one per legal entity (excluding compensation).
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE AND A SECOND HOME :
What is a principal residence?
A principal residence is the place where you mainly live, where you receive your mail and where you have your official address.
What is a second home?
A secondary residence is, by default, a property that you own but which is not your principal residence.
EXCEPTIONS :
How do you rent out your main residence for more than 120 days a year?
In exceptional circumstances, this number may be increased to 365 nights, provided that a special dispensation is granted in three specific situations: a professional obligation, health reasons, or in cases of force majeure.
What is a change of use?
A change of use allows the dwelling to be used temporarily, other than its usual use as a principal residence.
In practice, this allows you to offer the property for seasonal rental rather than occupying it yourself on a personal basis.
Click on this link to find out :
What are the rules for changing use?
Strasbourg City Council authorises one per person (individual or corporate).
In fact, the municipal authorities believe that furnished accommodation for tourism means that a principal residence has disappeared from the property market.
On the other hand, there is a solution that allows owners to make more than one change of use, provided they pay compensation.
The owner therefore has 2 options:
- Convert non-residential premises (shops, offices) that it owns into residential units
- Buying a title deed from a third party (e.g. a social housing landlord) who owns such premises in order to convert them into homes
Why has Strasbourg City Council adopted such strict regulations?
There are currently just over 4,000 Airbnb listings in Strasbourg, a figure that may seem considerable compared with the 40,000 listings in the Grand Est region as a whole and the 7,500 hotel rooms available in the city.
Pour autant, l’impact de la location Airbnb à Strasbourg est à relativiser :
- Growth in the number of ads is significantly slower than in many other comparable major European cities, with only 500 additional ads since the start of 2020 (before the Covid-19 pandemic).
- Around 1,400 ads are for rooms in private homes
- If we exclude primary residence rental ads, we estimate that there are around 1,500 ads for properties intended exclusively for tourists - far fewer than the hotel industry represents!
Holiday rentals in Strasbourg offer a unique experience thanks to its rich cultural heritage, iconic Christmas markets and constant tourist demand.
For investors and property owners, despite recent regulatory changes, offering short-term rental accommodation on platforms such as Booking or Airbnb is still a very attractive proposition. In the final analysis, the regulations are not a hindrance, but rather an opportunity!
Opting for management via a specialist concierge service is still highly recommended, whether to ensure compliance with regulations or to maximise rental income.
Our article Why let Rock in Share manage your property? will answer all your questions!
Make an appointment with Kevin or contact us directly to find out how we can help you realise the full potential of your holiday rental property:
Opening hours of the telephone hotline for homeowners : Monday to Friday, 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 6.30pm.