Becoming an Airbnb Co-Host in France: Legal Status, Carte G and Income (2026)

Co-hosting is the easiest way into short-term rental management: no premises, an owner who hands you their property, and a percentage of every booking. Airbnb has been pushing the model since autumn 2024, and plenty of people start without knowing what they are actually allowed to do. Here is the role as Airbnb defines it, the French legal framework (which is strict), the business status, realistic income, and how to find owners.

One thing before we start: this article summarises texts and practices observed in October 2026. It is not legal advice. For your own situation, talk to a lawyer or an accountant.

What a co-host is, according to Airbnb

On Airbnb, a co-host is someone the listing owner adds to help manage the listing. There are three access levels: full access (calendar, pricing, listing, bookings, messages, earnings), calendar and messaging, or calendar only. A listing can have up to 10 co-hosts. Only the listing owner can set or change a co-host's payouts, and the owner remains responsible for their co-hosts, including those added by another co-host (source: Airbnb Help Centre, "Co-host permissions", accessed October 2026).

Sharing payouts

The owner can set up an automatic payout for the co-host in four ways: the cleaning fee only, the cleaning fee plus a percentage, a percentage of the payout (with or without the cleaning fee), or a fixed amount per booking. The co-host accepts within 14 days and adds a payout method. Airbnb then sends the co-host their share directly, usually before the end of the business day after the guest checks in, together with their own tax documents (source: Airbnb Help Centre, "How co-host payouts work", accessed October 2026). This matters for what follows: the money never passes through the co-host.

The Co-Host Network covers France

Airbnb launched the Co-Host Network on 16 October 2024 in 10 countries, France included, with more than 10,000 co-hosts at launch, 73% of them Superhosts (source: Airbnb press release "Winter Release 2024", accessed October 2026). To be listed, you need an account in good standing, a verified identity, an overall co-host rating of at least 4.8, and compliance with local permit rules. A co-host who takes more than 24 hours to answer a request sees their ranking drop (source: Airbnb Help Centre, "Co-Host Network", accessed October 2026).

The legal framework: the loi Hoguet gives no free pass

French law no. 70-9 of 2 January 1970, known as the loi Hoguet, covers anyone who "habitually" carries out transactions on other people's property, including "the rental or sub-letting, seasonal or not, furnished or unfurnished, of buildings" and "property management". These activities are reserved for holders of a professional card (the carte G for management), which requires proven professional competence, a financial guarantee, and civil liability insurance (source: Légifrance, law no. 70-9, articles 1 and 3, accessed October 2026). The requirements are detailed on our page about the carte G for a concierge business.

Being authorised by a card holder

Article 4 lets a card holder authorise a person to "negotiate, act as intermediary or make commitments on their behalf". But that person may not "receive or hold, directly or indirectly, sums of money", may not give legal advice, draft private contracts, or run an establishment (source: Légifrance, law no. 70-9, article 4, accessed October 2026). Working "under the card" of a partner agency therefore does not entitle you to collect rents.

On 17 May 2023, the Cour de cassation clarified that a card holder may authorise a person to negotiate on their behalf "if that person holds the certificate referred to in article 9 of the decree or is themselves a holder of the professional card" (source: Légifrance, Cass. com. 17 May 2023, no. 21-23.533, accessed October 2026). So there are only two routes: the collaborator certificate issued by the card holder, or your own card. A co-hosting company planning to shelter behind a third party's card should have a lawyer check which route is open to it, since the collaborator certificate is designed for someone who works for the card holder, not for an independent business.

Penalties

Receiving or holding funds in connection with these transactions without complying with article 3, or demanding sums in breach of article 6 (which requires a written mandate stating how the intermediary may receive or hand over money), is punishable by two years' imprisonment and a 30,000 euro fine (source: Légifrance, law no. 70-9, articles 6 and 16, accessed October 2026).

What a co-host can do without a card

The dividing line runs through money and legal acts. Without a carte G, you remain a service provider to the owner:

• Allowed in practice: cleaning, key handover, check-in and check-out, restocking, listing management, guest messaging, coordinating tradespeople, pricing advice. These are services invoiced to the owner.
• Not allowed without a card: collecting rents into your own account and passing them on, signing rental contracts on the owner's behalf, handling security deposits, signing a management mandate.

Airbnb's payout sharing has a clear advantage here: the platform pays the owner and the co-host separately, so you never hold the owner's money. One grey area remains: does a co-host with full access who sets prices and accepts bookings for several owners "habitually" count as doing property management? In 2025 the Tours court annulled a concierge contract for management acts carried out without authorisation, and the commissions had to be refunded (source: LivretAccueil carte G page, accessed October 2026). Our cautious reading: stick to invoiced services, leave the owner as the listing holder and the one who collects the money, and put everything in a service contract. You will find templates on our page of concierge contract templates.

Which business status to choose

Micro-entrepreneur to get started

The turnover ceiling for services is 83,600 euros, and social contributions are calculated on turnover actually received: 21.2% for commercial services (BIC) and 25.6% for unregulated liberal activities (BNC) (source: entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr, micro-entrepreneur and micro-social pages, accessed October 2026). The most common activity code is 81.10Z, combined facilities support activities. For VAT, the exemption applies below 37,500 euros of turnover in the previous year, with a raised threshold of 41,250 euros in the current year. The single 25,000 euro threshold announced in the 2025 finance act was dropped and the 2026 thresholds are unchanged (source: entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr, VAT exemption page, verified 1 January 2026).

A company once it grows

Switch to a SASU or EURL when your real costs (travel, subcontracted cleaning, software) exceed the flat-rate allowance of the micro regime, when you approach the ceiling, or when you want to hire. Our concierge training covers the comparison and when to make the switch.

How much a co-host earns

Airbnb states it on its own page: "In general, co-hosts who offer ongoing services charge between 15 and 25% on each booking", and Airbnb takes no cut of the share passed on (source: airbnb.fr/host/co-hosts, accessed October 2026). That is the same range as French concierge services, with an average rate around 20%: 15 to 18% for light management, 18 to 22% for full management, 22 to 25% for premium. Cleaning is billed at 40 to 60 euros for a studio and 60 to 90 euros for a one or two bedroom flat (source: LivretAccueil page on Airbnb concierge pricing, accessed October 2026).

A rough order of magnitude from those figures: a flat that generates 1,500 euros of payouts per month earns you 300 euros at 20%. With five similar properties, you reach 1,500 euros of monthly turnover, before contributions (21.2% as a micro-entrepreneur in BIC) and before your own costs. The number of properties makes the income, not the percentage.

Professional liability insurance

For a service provider (cleaning, check-in, keys), professional liability insurance is not a legal obligation, but it is essential. Offers for service providers start between 8.99 and 15 euros per month. For those who fall under the loi Hoguet, the insurance becomes mandatory, comes on top of the financial guarantee, and policies start around 75 euros per month (source: LivretAccueil article on professional liability insurance for concierge services, accessed October 2026).

Finding your first owners

The Co-Host Network is a channel, not a strategy: a new profile with no reviews and no managed listing rarely surfaces. The channels that work for concierge services work for a co-host:

• Underperforming listings near you: dark photos, empty calendar, slow replies.
• The local network: estate agencies that turn down short-term rentals, notaries, building managers, tradespeople.
• Facebook groups and Leboncoin, with a regular presence rather than a one-off post.
• A Google Business profile for "co-host" and "conciergerie" plus your town.
• Word of mouth from your first clients, with a commercial gesture for each referral.

Our guide to finding your first owners details these channels with the messages to send. Once a property is signed, a digital welcome book like LivretAccueil saves you from repeating the Wi-Fi code ten times a week.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a carte G to be an Airbnb co-host?

Not to provide services to the owner (cleaning, welcoming guests, listings, messages). Yes as soon as you collect rents, sign rental contracts on their behalf or handle a security deposit: those acts are reserved for card holders or authorised persons, who themselves may not hold funds (source: Légifrance, law no. 70-9, articles 3 and 4).

How many co-hosts can a listing have?

Up to 10 per listing, with different access levels. Only the listing owner can set up payouts (source: Airbnb Help Centre).

Does Airbnb take a commission on the co-host's share?

No. Airbnb states that it takes no percentage of the payout shared with the co-host (source: airbnb.fr/host/co-hosts).

Can I co-host while keeping my salaried job?

Yes, as a micro-entrepreneur, subject to any exclusivity or loyalty clause in your employment contract. The income is declared on top of your salary.

Can a co-host work for several owners?

Yes, and it is the only way to make a living from it. But the more properties you take on and the more your tasks look like habitual management, the closer the loi Hoguet gets. At that point, have a lawyer validate your setup or aim for the carte G.