Marseille’s mayor has proposed a new plan to try to reinvigorate the city’s housing market and deter short-term rental landlords from “wanting to make money” off their citizens.
France’s second-largest city, Marseille has become a popular summer spot for many visitors and long weekend haven for Parisians over recent years.
With an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, tourists can enjoy the city’s sandy beaches like Plage des Catalans and its vibrant restaurant scene, making for an easy getaway out of the capital.
While Marseille’s tourism industry brings about seven per cent of its earnings to the local economy each year, the sheer number of annual tourists – around 5 million – majorly exceeds the number of the city’s 870,000 inhabitants.
With the large number of visitors, Marseille’s local authorities believe that short-term rentals for holidaymakers are becoming an increasing issue in the city, which the city’s mayor, Benoît Payan, said was "emptying the neighbourhoods".
The mayor has previously voiced his opinion to the local radio station Maritima that he wants to bring in the “strictest and strongest regulations in France to fight against Airbnb”.
Last week, Payan has now said that he wants Marseille to use an unconventional way of slowing down the number of short-term rentals and boosting the housing market.
Speaking on FranceInfo radio, Payan proposed a new policy which would make short-term rental landlords buy another property and put it up for long-term rental to increase the housing supply in Marseille.
Marseille’s city council said they have more than 12,000 properties rented out on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb, the radio station said.
Payan also claimed that up to 75 per cent of property developers in the city were “not from Marseille” and said that the majority were renting out their properties using sites such as Airbnb.
“I’m going to oblige anyone who wants to [rent out a property on Airbnb to buy an apartment and put it up for long-term rental,” Payan said on the radio, Euronews reported.
“I’m going to use everything the law allows me as a weapon… It’s going to make them stop wanting to make money off the people of Marseille.”
Those who currently wish to rent out a second home on Airbnb must request authorisation for a change of use from the town hall, the outlet said.
Payan claimed on Maritima radio that under the previous mayor, only four per cent of requests were refused, yet when he stepped into the role in 2020, that figure shot up to 82 per cent.
He added that he has also set up a so-called “Airbnb brigade” to try and work to identify illegal listings.
The Independent has contacted Airbnb and the Marseille Tourism Board for comment.
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