the Senate in turn approves the text on the “Airbnb tax niche”

The text voted by the senators lowers the rate of reduction on rental income from furnished tourist accommodation to 30%.

One more step in the fight against the “Airbnb niche”. On Tuesday, May 21, the Senate adopted a transpartisan bill aimed at better regulating the market for furnished tourist accommodation, in particular by tackling a criticized tax loophole that benefits short-term rental platforms. The text gives power back to mayors to partially respond to the housing crisis.

Supported by deputies Annaïg Le Meur (Renaissance) and Iñaki Echaniz (Socialist Party), the bill had already been adopted in the National Assembly, despite the opposition of elected representatives from the Les Républicains party, who invoked the defense of “small owners.” In the upper house, certain measures were attenuated, which allowed the text to receive unanimous reception, even in the ranks of the right, the majority.

The text voted on in the Assembly proposed reducing the rate of reduction on income from rentals of furnished tourist accommodation to 30%, compared to 71% or 50% currently. Despite calls from the left to “go further”, the Senate maintained the rate of 30%. He reintroduced a more favorable reduction of 50% for furnished apartments only. “classified”For “incentivize ranking”sometimes expensive, of these tourist accommodations.

At the initiative of the right, the Senate removed the possibility introduced by deputies of lowering from 120 to 90 days per year the maximum period during which a main residence can be rented. The senators also extended the deadline given to owners of furnished tourist accommodation to comply with energy decency requirements: the energy label classified D will only be necessary in 2034, compared to 2029 according to the version voted in the National Assembly.

Senators and deputies will now have to agree on a compromise during a joint committee, the date of which has not been set. In the meantime, several parliamentarians have called for continued reflection during the examination of the housing bill from June 17 in the Senate. “The rise of furnished tourist accommodation is far from summarizing the extent of the imbalance in the current rental market”warned Senator LR Sylviane Noël.

“It is our responsibility to allow the French to find accommodation in the most touristy areas”pleaded, Tuesday, before the vote, the Minister of Housing, Guillaume Kasbarian, in favor of most of the measures in the bill, for “restore equity”.