Short-term rentals in Aix-en-Provence: the 2026 regulations
Published · 8 min read
Short-term letting in Aix-en-Provence remains possible and simple, provided you do things in the right order. Here are the Airbnb regulations in Aix in 2026, from national law to the city's rules, from your building's regulations to your tax obligations, text by text.
Airbnb regulations in Aix: what applies
Letting a flat in the historic centre or a house in the Pays d'Aix to visitors is neither forbidden nor complicated. But since the Act of 19 November 2024, known as the Le Meur Act, the rules have tightened and fines have increased. This guide sets out the regulations on short-term rentals in Aix-en-Provence, up to date as of 24 October 2026, with a reference to each official text. Several dates still depend on implementing decrees.
Four layers of rules apply to an owner in Aix. The first is national: the Tourism Code and the Construction and Housing Code, largely rewritten by the Le Meur Act. The second is municipal: Aix requires a registration number and regulates the change of use of homes. The third is private, but just as decisive: your building's co-ownership regulations. The last is fiscal, with income to declare, the tourist tax and sometimes social contributions. An oversight at any of these levels can lead to a fine or block the listing.
The essential difference lies between two situations. Either your home is your main residence, occupied for at least eight months a year, or it is a second home or an investment property. The rules are not the same, and at EmiRise we only work with the second category. This guide does not replace the town hall, your notary or your accountant: it helps you ask them the right questions.
The registration number in Aix
In Aix-en-Provence, every furnished holiday let must be declared on the city's online platform. The process is free and available at any time. It results in a 13-character registration number: the municipality's code, a unique identifier and a check key. The city points this out on its dedicated page: booking platforms ask for this number before publishing the listing.
This number must appear on every listing, on Airbnb as well as Booking.com. Any change to the information declared, such as the number of beds, requires a new declaration. A listing without a number risks a €5,000 civil fine, and a false number a €20,000 administrative fine. In our experience with our owners, the number is obtained quickly and without difficulty, more simply than in other large cities in the region.
The Le Meur Act extends registration to every municipality in France, by 20 May 2026 at the latest, through a national online service. Service-public.gouv.fr confirms that the declaration has been compulsory everywhere since that date. For Aix, the city's platform states that the switch to the national tool has been postponed to the last quarter of 2026. So keep using the city's platform until the town hall says otherwise, and keep your acknowledgement of receipt.
Second homes and change of use
This is the point most often overlooked. Repeatedly letting a home for short periods to passing visitors constitutes a change of use, within the meaning of article L. 631-7 of the Construction and Housing Code. Aix-en-Provence has made it subject to a temporary change-of-use authorisation through resolution no. 2017-554 of 13 December 2017, whose main points are set out in the city's online form.
Only private individuals can apply for it. It is valid for three years, renewable five times, making fifteen years at most, and remains personal to the owner: it does not pass with the property if it is sold. The building's co-ownership regulations must not prohibit it, and the home must meet decency standards. Without a reply within one month, it may be granted tacitly. For a property held through an SCI (a French property company), ask the town hall before committing.
A main residence let for less than four months a year is not affected. Since 21 November 2024, however, a home granted this authorisation must have an energy performance certificate (DPE) rated A to E in mainland France. Without authorisation, the civil fine can reach €100,000 per home, according to service-public.gouv.fr. So check your situation with the town hall before going online, and keep its reply with your file.
Main residence: 120 or 90 days?
If you let your main residence while you are away, the law sets a cap of 120 days of letting per calendar year. This cap does not apply in cases of professional obligation, health reasons or force majeure. Booking platforms must block listings that exceed it, and exceeding it risks a €15,000 civil fine.
Since 1 January 2025, a municipality can lower this cap to as little as 90 days, by a reasoned council resolution. As of 24 October 2026, we found no such resolution on the website of the city of Aix. Only the town hall can confirm this, and the question is worth asking if it applies to you.
This limit does not concern second homes or investment properties: for these, the rule to follow is the change of use described above. In all cases, the same guest cannot rent the property for more than 90 consecutive days. This is also why we advise letting a second home or an investment property rather than your main residence.
Co-ownership and energy rating
Since 21 November 2024, new co-ownership regulations must state clearly whether furnished holiday lets are allowed. The Le Meur Act also makes it possible to vote a ban by a two-thirds majority rather than unanimously, on two conditions: the vote only concerns units that are not main residences, and the regulations already ban any commercial activity outside the commercial units.
Once you have your registration number, you must inform the managing agent, who reports it at the next general meeting. We have never seen a co-ownership dispute among our owners, but some have had to give up their plans because their building regulations prohibited short-term letting. So read this document, along with the minutes of the last general meeting, before buying or furnishing a property.
On energy, the DPE currently only blocks a change of use, with a rating of A to E required until 31 December 2033. From 1 January 2034, any furnished holiday let that is not the owner's main residence will need a rating of A to D in mainland France. The mayor can already demand a valid DPE; without a reply within two months, a penalty of €100 per day applies.
The checklist before letting
Before any listing goes online, we review these points with each owner.
The status of the property
Main residence or second home, held in your own name or through an SCI: this status determines which rules apply. It governs the change of use, which in its temporary form is reserved for private individuals, as well as the 120-day cap, which only concerns main residences. A main residence implies occupation for at least eight months a year. Clarifying this point first avoids building everything else on the wrong footing.
The co-ownership regulations
Read the regulations and the minutes of the last general meeting. This is the first document to check, even before furnishing the property. Look for a clause banning any commercial activity in residential units: this is the condition that allows the general meeting to vote a ban on furnished holiday lets by a two-thirds majority. Once you have your number, remember to notify the managing agent.
Change of use and energy rating
Ask the town hall to confirm whether your property requires temporary change-of-use authorisation, and keep a written record of its reply. Keep an up-to-date DPE and know its rating: it must be between A and E for any new authorisation, and between A and D from 2034. Since the mayor can ask for it at any time, it is best to have it to hand.
The tax regime
Income from short-term letting counts as industrial and commercial profits (BIC). The Le Meur Act reduced the advantage of the micro-BIC regime for unclassified furnished lets, from 2025 income onwards. Above the thresholds in the table, the actual-expenses regime applies, with actual costs deductible, and the micro-BIC regime is not available for a property held in joint ownership. Above €23,000 in annual takings, the activity requires registration with Urssaf and social contributions: a conversation with your accountant is essential.
| Type of property | Micro-BIC allowance | Takings threshold (2026 income, declared in 2027) |
|---|---|---|
| Unclassified furnished holiday let | 30% | €15,000 |
| Classified furnished holiday let | 50% | €83,600 |
The tourist tax
The guest pays it, and the host collects it and pays it over to the municipality, unless the booking platform takes the payment and handles it. In Aix, declarations and payments are made on the city's tourist tax platform, which passes the full amount on to the Tourist Office. Unclassified properties are taxed as a percentage of the nightly rate, up to a cap, plus additional departmental and regional taxes. The city has announced a change in rates on 1 January 2027.
SIRET number, police registration form and insurance
The activity must be declared within fifteen days of starting, free of charge, on the business formalities portal, which issues the SIRET number. Every foreign guest fills in a police registration form, which the host keeps for six months. Finally, your home insurance policy must cover holiday letting, which is not automatic: ask your insurer for written confirmation before the first booking.
Penalties for oversights
The Le Meur Act has raised the amounts considerably. Several of these penalties still depend on an implementing decree, but they give an idea of the scale of the risk. The mayor can also suspend a registration number, in particular for an unsanitary property, and ask the platforms to remove the listing. A complete file, checked before going online, remains your best protection against these risks.
| Breach | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Change of use without authorisation | €100,000 civil fine per property |
| Listing without a registration number | €5,000 civil fine |
| False declaration or false number | €20,000 administrative fine |
| Exceeding 120 days (main residence) | €15,000 civil fine |
| Letting a property that fails energy decency standards | €5,000 administrative fine per property |
What EmiRise does
EmiRise is an upmarket concierge service founded in Aix-en-Provence in 2024 by two Aix natives. We look after a selection of apartments in the historic centre and villas across the Pays d'Aix as short-term rentals: presenting the property, prices adjusted every week, welcoming guests, cleaning, linen and day-to-day follow-up. As a co-host arrangement, you remain the holder of your listings and receive your income directly.
On regulations, we do not replace the town hall or your accountant, but we help you prepare your declaration, publish your listings with the right number and declare the tourist tax. Our Owners page presents our services, and we can review your property's situation together.
And if you have the slightest question about your situation, write to us.
Fancy a stay in Aix? Discover our homes
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a registration number for short-term letting in Aix-en-Provence?
Yes. The city of Aix issues a 13-character number after an online declaration, and this number must appear on every listing.
Do you need change-of-use authorisation in Aix for a second home?
The city of Aix applies a temporary change-of-use authorisation scheme, introduced by a council resolution of 13 December 2017, for homes that are not the owner's main residence. The form is available on the city's website; check your exact situation with the town hall before letting.
Does Aix-en-Provence limit letting to 90 days a year?
The 120-day cap applies only to a main residence, and a municipality can lower it to as little as 90 days by council resolution. As of 24 October 2026, we found no such resolution on the city's website, but only the town hall can confirm this.
Can my co-owned building forbid me from letting short-term?
Since the Act of 19 November 2024, a general meeting can ban furnished holiday lets in units that are not main residences, by a two-thirds majority, if the building regulations already ban any commercial activity in those units. Read your building regulations before you start.
What are our sources?
- City of Aix-en-Provence: holiday lettings, the formalities (in French)
- City of Aix-en-Provence: application for temporary change-of-use authorisation (resolution no. 2017-554, in French)
- Municipality of Aix-en-Provence: declaration portal for furnished lets and the tourist tax (in French)
- Service-public.gouv.fr: renting out your second home as furnished holiday accommodation (checked on 21 May 2026, in French)
- Légifrance: Act no. 2024-1039 of 19 November 2024 strengthening local regulation tools for furnished holiday lets (in French)
