PARIS — France will seek to block poorly-insulated housing from being listed on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb, the French junior minister for housing and cities said Tuesday.
As soon as January 1, 2023, when the country’s climate law rules enter into force, landlords will no longer be authorized to put the most poorly-insulated apartments and houses — referred to as “thermic colanders” in French — on the long-term rental market. The government wants to ensure some of the units, labeled G under the energy performance diagnosis, don’t instead end up on the short-term market.
“It is out of the question to allow hiding behind the prohibition to rent [such housing] by transforming residences into furnished touristic accommodation,” junior minister Olivier Klein told BFMTV. “We need to work towards the same rules,” he explained.
France’s climate law targets poorly-insulated housing because it causes increased energy consumption, as residents attempt to heat the space. By 2034, all poorly-insulated apartments and houses — labeled E, F and G — will gradually be banned from the long-term rental market.
Ian Brossat, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s deputy for housing and an Airbnb critic, welcomed the minister’s statements and said that “for months, we have been warning about this scandal.” In October, Airbnb announced a €1 million investment in France to boost and support its hosts’ energy renovation plans.
Klein also hinted the government would take a look at the fiscal advantages linked to renting touristic accommodation: “There must be more justice in the fiscal relations that one has with furnished touristic accommodation compared with a classic non-tourist furnished accommodation. We are working on this,” Klein added.
