Loi Le Meur, mandatory EPC, night caps, online registration: the legal framework for short-term rental has changed profoundly. This guide covers everything.
The Loi Le Meur, published in the French Official Journal on 20 November 2024, has profoundly reshaped the legal framework for short-term rental in France. Combined with municipal orders enacted by several Provençal communes, it has created a regulatory environment considerably more constraining than before 2024. But this framework is not unmanageable for compliant owners: its primary aim is to rebalance pressured property markets and to professionalise a sector that had long operated in a regulatory blind spot.
The 90-night cap: who is concerned?
The annual cap of 90 nights for letting a primary residence (reduced from 120 nights under the original 2017 legislation) now applies in Marseille following the municipal vote of April 2025, and in several other high-pressure Provençal communes. This cap concerns only primary residences: a property that is your fiscal domicile, where you reside more than 8 months a year. Secondary residences are not subject to this cap, but they are subject to the change-of-use obligation in communes that have established it.
Online registration: mandatory since May 2026
Since May 2026, a national online service allows property owners to register their furnished tourist accommodation directly online, with automatic data transmission to the commune and the tax authorities. This online registration progressively replaces the CERFA form at the town hall in communes that have deployed the system. The registration number obtained through this service is the same that must appear on your Airbnb or Booking.com listing, on pain of a fine of up to €10,000.
The EPC: a new eligibility criterion for rental
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC, or DPE in French) is now an eligibility criterion for rental, including short-term rental. G-rated properties (the most energy-inefficient) have been banned from rental since January 2025. F-rated properties will be banned from January 2028. E-rated properties from January 2034. These deadlines oblige many owners to plan energy renovation works: wall and loft insulation, heating system replacement, ventilation improvement.
Fine schedule in force in 2026:
- No registration number on the listing: fine up to €10,000
- False declaration (notably regarding primary residence status): fine up to €20,000
- Exceeding the 90-night cap for a primary residence: civil fine up to €15,000
- Letting a G-rated property without renovation: civil and administrative penalties
- Failure to declare tourist tax (if not collected by the platform): tax surcharges
Communes that have introduced additional rules
The Loi Le Meur has given mayors new tools to regulate short-term rental on their territory. Some communes can now set quotas by neighbourhood, impose exclusion zones for secondary residences, or require prior authorisation for any new rental listing. In Marseille, the town hall has begun using these tools in the most touristy neighbourhoods. It is essential to verify the specific local regulations for your commune before listing your property.
Comply before you list
The best strategy is to start with registration at the town hall (or via the national online service since May 2026), obtain your registration number, verify your EPC rating and consult your commune's local regulations. These steps take less than two hours and protect you from significant fines. A professional concierge can assist with all these administrative procedures.
Elyos
