New 90-day-a-year limit for holiday rentals

Don't panic, owners and Airbnb hosts: your flip-flops aren't retiring just yet! But from 2025 onwards, the well-known 120-day limit on renting out your main home as a holiday rental can be cut to just 90 days a year. Here's what that means for you.

Why this 90-day reform?

Introduced by the "Le Meur" Act (no. 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024), the measure aims to protect housing stock for local residents and to slow the growth of short-term rentals, especially in areas of high housing pressure. In practice, councils in these high-pressure areas (and possibly all councils, by May 2026) can vote to lower the cap from 120 to 90 days.

Who is affected?

Mainly main homes (lived in for at least eight months a year). Second homes fall outside this cap, but beware: they are subject to other planning and change-of-use requirements.

What you need to know as the owner of a main home

Shorter maximum period: your main home can no longer be rented out for more than 90 days a year where the council imposes the limit (otherwise, 120 days maximum).

Compulsory registration: every rental must be registered with the local council, and the registration number must appear on your listings (Airbnb, Abritel and so on).

Change of use: exceeding the threshold without council authorisation may require a formal change of use for the property, which is complex and potentially expensive.

Fines and checks: up to 15,000 € for exceeding the quota, 10,000 € for failing to register, and 20,000 € for a false declaration.

What should you actually do?

Here are a few pointers for navigating the new framework with peace of mind:

Check with your local council: each one decides whether or not to adopt the 90-day limit, so find out before planning your bookings.

Register your rental now, using the Cerfa form or your council's online service. You'll be given a number to include in your listings.

Plan cleverly: map out your calendar in advance so you don't go over the permitted days, especially in high season!

Keep an eye on the counter: platforms are required to deactivate your listings beyond the threshold where the council requires a registration number.

Look at other formats: consider the French mobility lease (one to ten months), house-sharing or a year-round let (a standard furnished tenancy) to top up your income at no extra cost.

A few things worth remembering

So yes, 90 days is a bit like a jar of Nutella: you'd love to enjoy more of it, but you have to hold back. And if you rent out only part of your home (a single room, for instance), the counter only starts running when the host is away.

The bottom line

The new 90-day-a-year limit on holiday rentals is a significant change for owners of main homes. Comfortable for you? It depends: if you were used to letting all summer long, it's time to rethink your calendar or explore other options. With a little organisation, though, you'll stay on the right side of the rules and avoid both fines and swear words. So, ready to juggle holidays, regulations and profitability?