If you are looking to rent a furnished apartment in Toulouse, for a visit of a few days or a night, you will certainly come across this Toulousain who offers with his partner via their account on the Airbnb platform no less than five accommodations in the Pink City for overnight rentals (two houses and three apartments). This example is far from being isolated, and above all, it is not the biggest renter in town.

For example, another host has 17 units in one building. “That’s a hotel in disguise, which circumvents the constraints of an establishment that receives the public. We don’t want this anymore“, warns Toulouse Métropole. Other cases are striking, such as these two “investors” one could say who each have respectively 60 and 200 different accommodations in Toulouse offered for rent via Airbnb and other furnished rental platforms for tourist.

“Of the 3,000 rental companies registered by the services of Toulouse Métropole, around fifteen have more than 10 accommodations in their hands, and 200 hosts have between four and ten”, lists Jean-Claude Dardelet, the vice-president of the community in charge of the tourism, attractiveness, Europe and international.

The Metropolis taken by surprise?

Faced with this surge in the number of neo-professionals in furnished tourist rentals through Airbnb-type platforms, the fourth city in France has decided to tighten the screw. Moreover, it should be noted that of its 3,000 registered rental companies, no less than 15% are legal persons, in other words companies dedicated to this activity.

“We had not at all imagined that some would make it their profession. Nevertheless, we have carefully monitored this curve of the number of registered rental companies and the share of legal entities. We are starting to reach pain thresholds, so we must treat, but peacefully”, confides the elected official to La Tribune.

To do this, elected metropolitan officials have adopted new measures against the most important rental companies of furnished tourist accommodation, which can be summed up in one word: compensation.

“These are not measures against Airbnb since they concern all rental companies of tourist accommodation. And it is not anti but good to contain their excesses. When there is an abundance of supply, this generates nuisance, changes the sociology of a neighborhood and inflates the price per square meter of housing to the detriment of permanent residents. It is also unfair competition for hotels”, continues Jean-Claude Dardelet.

Vigilance for the Rugby World Cup

Concretely, from three accommodations rented on these platforms, each new place rented by the night will have to be compensated to the nearest square meter, with the rental of accommodation in the traditional way with lease. “The compensation consists, for any request for change of use of a room, in transforming at the same time a room of a surface at least equivalent to put it in leasing, within the same zone.“, summarizes Toulouse Métropole.

For this new measure, which comes after the application for registration in Toulouse from January 2019 for furnished tourist accommodation or a main residence, Toulouse has been divided into three zones: the city center, the suburbs and the rest of the territory. urban. “In fact, an owner of several dwellings in the first zone will have to compensate in the first. If he cannot, he will have to part with his lodgings. For renters in the second zone, they will have to compensate in the first or second. Those in the third compensate compensate all over town“, specifies Jean-Claude Dardelet.

Until now, the rental of furnished tourist accommodation was limited to the main residence (120 days per year) and two secondary residences in Toulouse per lessor, but only for natural persons. This new turn of the community will thus make it possible to regulate the practices of dedicated companies such as civil real estate companies. Nevertheless, the latter benefit from a generous timetable to bring themselves into compliance. “This new system will enter into force on November 1, 2023 or at the end of the authorization granted for those in progress.“, specifies Toulouse Métropole. The reason? The next Rugby World Cup to be held in France between September and October 2023. The local public authorities do not want to take the risk of limiting the supply of commercial accommodation during this major event. as they will try to attract massive numbers of Asian fans in particular during this major competition.