Paris has a vacancy rate of 19%, according to a study by the Paris Urban Planning Agency (Apur). There are 262,000 empty homes in total, including those used as occasional residences or second homes. This makes Paris the second city in France for vacancy rates, after Nice.
Since these vacant homes make up nearly 19% of the city’s housing stock, the mayor’s office is calling for legislative changes to address the issue of housing shortages. The figure represents a significant increase of 4.7% over the past decade, according to the study.
The breakdown of the data shows that 128,000 homes are entirely vacant, while 134,000 are used occasionally or as second homes. This distinction places Paris as the second city in France with the highest percentage of unoccupied housing, after Nice. The situation is particularly pronounced in some centrally located districts, such as the VIIIth, VIIth, VIth and central Paris, where up to 36% of homes are unused.
The increase in unoccupied housing is in part due to the rise in unregistered tourist rentals, according to the Apur. As a result, approximately 25,000 homes are being used in this way, leading to significant shifts in the city’s demographic make-up.
This trend has resulted in the depopulation of entire neighborhoods and ultimately has far-reaching consequences for the city’s social and economic attractiveness. In response to this issue, lawmakers are considering a proposal to reform the tax benefits for furnished tourist accommodations like Airbnb, in order to encourage owners to put their homes back on the rental market.
If the proposal is approved, the tax reduction for these short-term rentals would drop to 30%, except in sparsely populated rural areas where an additional 41% reduction may be applied, making the total reduction 71%. This aims to encourage homeowners to rent their properties rather than keeping them empty.
The city of Paris is hoping this will create more affordable housing options for residents and help to rebalance the housing market.
