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

In Marseille, primary residences can only be rented as vacation accommodation for 90 days per year. Marseille has lowered the limit from 120 to 90 days per year for primary residences. This measure aims to curb the massive conversion of housing into tourist accommodations in the Vieux-Port, Panier, and Corniche neighborhoods. Night counts are calculated over the calendar year, and owners must submit an annual report to the city hall by January 31 of the following year. The Marseille municipality estimates that the reduction from 120 to 90 days could free up nearly 2,500 homes in the first six arrondissements, where the residential vacancy rate is below 3%. Owners who exceed the threshold face automatic deactivation of their listing by platforms and a fine of up to €10,000 for non-compliance with the authorized night limit.

In Marseille, automatic listing blocking relies on a protocol established with Airbnb and Booking in 2024, which verifies the registration number against the municipal database before publication. Platforms submit quarterly reports to the city hall detailing the number of nights booked per property, enabling planning services to detect overages and multi-account listings used to circumvent the 90-day limit.

In Marseille, the change-of-use application is reviewed by the Departmental Housing Commission, in coordination with the city hall planning department. The file must include proof of compensation, a valid DPE certificate, and the condominium association's approval, making the process particularly demanding in the protected areas of the Panier and Hôtel de Ville. Compensation: From the 1st property.

Unlike other major cities that exempt the first property, Marseille requires compensation from the very first change-of-use authorization. This particularly strict measure aims to halt the loss of residential housing in tourist-popular neighborhoods. The compensation ratio is 1:1 in most areas but rises to 1.5:1 in the Vieux-Port and Panier perimeter, classified as a protected area. Compensation must be carried out in the same arrondissement, and the compensating property must be placed back on the residential rental market for a minimum of nine years.

De facto freeze on new authorizations in the city center

Marseille has not established an official numerical quota, but the compensation-from-the-first-property policy creates a de facto freeze on new authorizations in the city center. Change-of-use applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis with a high refusal rate in the central arrondissements (1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th). The city hall planning department processes an average of 400 applications per year, with a processing time of three to five months. The southern arrondissements (8th, 9th) have been under increased scrutiny since the rise of seasonal rentals in the Calanques and Pointe-Rouge neighborhoods.

Marseille created a specialized brigade of 12 agents in 2024, attached to the Housing Department and equipped with a listing scraping software. Inspections primarily target the 1st through 7th arrondissements, and fines are accompanied by an obligation to restore the property to residential use within six months.

The fine for non-compliance with regulations can reach €50,000 in Marseille. The city has intensified its inspections since 2024, with a dedicated brigade targeting primarily unauthorized secondary residences and multi-property owners. Inspectors from the Housing Department conduct cross-checks between online listings and the declarations register, with particular attention during the summer period from May to September. In 2024, over 200 official reports were filed in the first six arrondissements.