a citizen collective is created to impose regulation

A new actor to fight against the housing crisis. A national citizen collective, aimed at imposing regulation of the short-term rental market on Airbnb-type platforms, was presented to the press on Wednesday May 31. This coordination, created in April, brings together around twenty local collectives throughout the territory and intends to become a privileged interlocutor of the government to regulate furnished tourist accommodation.

Exodus of residents, closure of small shops and school classes, lack of manpower, ghost towns out of season… The members of the collective listed the different effects of “overtourism” in the areas concentrating the most furnished tourist.

“In my street, it can be estimated that half of the buildings are occupied by Airbnbs, and in the old town, 23 buildings have been declared at risk because they have not been maintained. It is not an owner from Airbnb which is redoing the roof”described Brigitte Cottet, member of the Association of Residents of the Old Town of Annecy.

“Reverse taxation” for “people who rent year-round”

The creation of this collective comes a week after the announcement of the postponement of a transpartisan law proposal to regulate tourist rentals.

Among the demands, the coordination calls for the extension of the number of municipalities classified as tight zones, in order to allow regulatory measures such as quotas or compensation at the inter-municipal level. She also asks for a “reverse taxation in favor of people who rent year-round”.

The collective also intends to demonstrate that the answer to the housing crisis does not only lie in construction, but also in increasing the share of main residences in the housing stock of municipalities.