Airbnb regulations in Bordeaux: what the Le Meur Law changes from 2025

In Bordeaux, primary residences can only be rented as vacation accommodation for 90 days per year. Bordeaux has lowered the primary residence rental limit to 90 days per year. This reduction aims to limit tourist pressure on the city center rental market, where prices have risen sharply since the UNESCO listing in 2007. The Bordeaux Métropole municipal council voted this measure by a large majority, following a report by the Bordeaux Aquitaine Urban Planning Agency (A'urba) demonstrating that over 5% of the historic center's housing stock had shifted to tourist rental use. The night count is automatically verified by platforms and cross-referenced with the municipal registrations database.

Bordeaux Métropole has concluded a bilateral agreement with Airbnb and Booking including an alert system at 70 nights warning the property owner of the approaching threshold, followed by a definitive block at 90 days. The registration number is verified in real time via an API connected to the municipal database, and platforms must remove listings with revoked or invalid registration numbers within 72 hours, a system particularly active within the UNESCO perimeter.

In Bordeaux's historic center, listed as a UNESCO site, any change of use requires a review by the municipal commission and the opinion of the Architect of Buildings of France. The application must demonstrate that the conversion does not alter the residential character of the neighborhood and include a compensation plan validated by the Bordeaux Métropole Housing Department. Compensation: 1:1 in the same zone.

Bordeaux applies a 1:1 compensation rule: for each square meter converted to tourist accommodation, one square meter of housing must be compensated in the same geographic zone. This proximity constraint makes compensation more difficult to achieve in the historic center where available real estate is limited. In the Triangle d'Or (between the Grand Théâtre, Place Gambetta, and Allées de Tourny), finding a compensation property has become nearly impossible due to the scarcity of available premises. Applications are processed by the Bordeaux Métropole Housing Department, with an average processing time of four months and a 60% refusal rate within the UNESCO perimeter.

No explicit quota

Bordeaux has not established a numerical quota, but the 1:1 compensation rule in the same zone, combined with the 90-day cap, effectively creates a significant barrier to new authorizations. The city relies on these indirect mechanisms rather than a numerical cap. The Bordeaux Métropole housing observatory nevertheless tracks tourist accommodation density by neighborhood and publishes quarterly indicators. The Saint-Pierre, Saint-Michel, and Chartrons neighborhoods show the highest concentration rates, exceeding 8% of the residential housing stock, which has led the city hall to strengthen compensation requirements in these areas.

Bordeaux has established a sanctions system centered on the preservation of UNESCO-listed heritage, with a brigade of eight agents dedicated to tourist accommodation enforcement. Property owners in violation within the UNESCO perimeter face expedited proceedings, and the Bordeaux judicial court has treated these cases as priority since a protocol signed with the prosecutor's office in 2024.

The maximum fine is €50,000 in Bordeaux. The city has intensified its inspections since the UNESCO listing, with particular attention to buildings in the Triangle d'Or, Saint-Pierre neighborhood, and the Chartrons. The enforcement brigade, composed of eight agents attached to the Housing Department, conducts cross-checks between online listings and the declarations register. In 2024, over 150 official reports were filed, primarily for failure to register and exceeding the 90-day limit. The Bordeaux judicial court issued average fines of €20,000 for the violations found.