The city of Paris wants to go to court against the accommodation broker Airbnb and claims to record a record fine for the company. "Illegal tourist accommodations that increase the rental rates and harass the residents: it's enough!" Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter.
"I've decided to hold the sites accountable," the tweet says, "Airbnb is risking a € 12.5 million fine." The company rejects the allegations.
Private individuals who occasionally rent rooms or apartments via platforms such as Airbnb in the French capital need a registration number from the city council. The maximum rental period is 120 days per year. Hidalgo now accuses the company of offering 1000 unregistered apartments on its site - for every non-legal offer a penalty of 12,500 euros.
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According to Airbnb, the landlords in Paris have largely been informed about the current regulations. "Nevertheless, we claim that the rules adopted in Paris, affecting every fifth Parisian, are ineffective, disproportionate and contrary to European rules," states a statement.
Hidalgo told Le Journal Du Dimanche: "I have nothing against Parisians who rent out their accommodations for a few days a year to make ends meet." The problem is owners, who rent apartments to tourists all year round, without notifying them. Platforms like Airbnb would become accomplices.
With reference to the housing shortage in Paris, the city administration has been endeavoring to regulate letting via online platforms for a longer time. As early as April 2018, Paris had taken legal action against Airbnb and the Wimdu platform, urging them to publish ads without a registration number via an express procedure.
Airbnb regularly enters into legal disputes with authorities and governments. Most recently, in December, the Administrative Court of Munich decided that the city of Munich's online accommodation provider must disclose the names and addresses of providers of illegally used holiday apartments.