251+
Communes where changement d'usage applies (2025)
€100,000
Maximum fine for operating without required authorisation
120→90
Days: annual cap on primary-residence tourist lets, reducible since January 2025
May 2026
National registration deadline for all tourist meublé

What Is Changement d'Usage?

The changement d'usage regime is France's primary mechanism for controlling the conversion of residential properties to short-term tourist use. Under Article L 631-7 CCH, in municipalities that have activated the regime, converting a residential property to commercial use — including tourist meublé — requires prior authorisation from the maire. The regime applies automatically in municipalities of more than 200,000 inhabitants and the Paris metropolitan departments, and can be adopted by any other commune demonstrating a serious housing shortage.

Over 251 communes currently apply it, including Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice, Marseille, Grenoble, Strasbourg, Annecy, and many coastal and Alpine towns. The regime is expected to expand further as more communes demonstrate eligibility under the housing shortage criteria introduced by loi Le Meur 2024.

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Critical Enforcement Risk

Operating a tourist meublé without the required changement d'usage authorisation is a civil offence: fine up to €100,000 per property plus a daily penalty (astreinte) of up to €1,000 until compliance. Letting agents and platforms knowingly listing non-compliant properties are equally exposed. Non-resident landlords based outside France are subject to the same penalties — enforced via French court orders enforceable in other EU member states under Brussels I (recast).

The Primary Residence Exception

A landlord who lets their own résidence principale as a tourist meublé is exempt from the authorisation requirement in most communes. However, this exception comes with a strict annual cap and does not eliminate other obligations such as mairie declaration, national registration, and taxe de séjour collection.

Situation Authorisation required? Annual days cap National reg. 2026
Your primary residence — any communeNo120 days (or 90 from 2025 in some communes)Yes
Investment property — non-regulated communeNoNoneYes
Investment property — regulated communeYes — priorN/A until authorisedYes
Investment property — ParisYes + compensation likelyN/A until authorisedYes

The 120-Day Cap and the 2025 Reduction

A landlord letting their primary residence as a tourist meublé may not exceed 120 rental days per calendar year. From January 2025, municipalities may reduce this to 90 days by deliberation. Platforms must track and enforce the limit for each property listed on their platform — landlords must verify the applicable cap in their commune via the mairie's published deliberations.

The cap applies to the property as the landlord's résidence principale. If the landlord declares a different primary residence, the cap applies from the first day of tourist letting at the former primary residence. Exceeding the cap is an infraction and the excess days generate the same civil liability as operating entirely without authorisation.

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How to Verify the Cap in Your Commune

The reduction to 90 days requires a formal deliberation adopted by the municipal council, with a clear effective date. Check the mairie's official bulletin or website for any deliberation reducing the cap. When in doubt, apply the 120-day rule and seek legal advice if you plan to approach that limit. Platforms are required to suspend further bookings once the cap is reached for a given property.

The Three-Tier Regulation Structure and the Compensation Mechanism

The changement d'usage regime operates across three levels of stringency. In Paris and certain other communes, obtaining authorisation for an investment property requires simultaneously converting commercial premises of equivalent surface area to residential use. In central Paris arrondissements, suitable commercial space is extremely difficult to find and prohibitively expensive — making authorisation effectively impossible for most individual investors. The vast majority of tourist meublé in Paris outside the primary-residence exemption are therefore unlicensed.

Tier A — No regulation
Tourist meublé permitted without authorisation
Non-regulated communes. Tourist meublé permitted subject only to mairie declaration and 2026 national registration. No prior authorisation procedure.
  • No prior authorisation
  • Mairie declaration (Cerfa 14004*04) required
  • 2026 national télé-service registration required
  • Taxe de séjour collection required
Tier B — Regulated, no compensation
Prior authorisation from maire required
Prior authorisation required but no commercial space conversion needed. Merit-based application assessed by the mairie against local housing shortage criteria.
  • Prior authorisation from maire before first letting
  • No compensation requirement
  • Merit-based application — no guarantee of approval
  • All Tier A obligations also apply
Tier C — Paris / heavy regulation
Authorisation + compensation mechanism
Prior authorisation plus simultaneous conversion of equivalent commercial space to residential. Effectively prohibits individual investor tourist lets in most central areas.
  • Prior authorisation mandatory
  • Compensation: convert equivalent commercial space to residential
  • Central Paris: commercial space extremely difficult to source
  • Fines up to €100,000 + astreinte up to €1,000/day

How to Apply for Changement d'Usage Authorisation

The application procedure varies by commune but follows a broadly consistent structure. In Paris, a dedicated online platform and specific Cerfa forms apply. For other regulated communes, applications are typically made directly to the mairie's service urbanisme.

Step 1 — Confirm your commune applies the regime and identify which tier
Verify at the mairie's service urbanisme or official website. Confirm whether the compensation mechanism applies. Check whether the 120-day cap has been reduced to 90 days by deliberation.
Step 2 — File the authorisation request at the mairie
Submit to the mairie on the applicable form. Paris has its own Cerfa and online platform. Include: property ownership documents, description of proposed tourist use, proof of identity. For Tier C communes: simultaneous compensation documentation must be filed.
Step 3 — Await the maire's decision
The mairie has a set response period — typically 15 days to 2 months depending on the commune. Silence is not approval. An express written decision is required. If refused, appeal is possible before the administrative tribunal.
Step 4 — If compensation required: secure and convert the commercial space
Find commercial premises of equivalent surface to convert to residential use. Both conversions must be submitted simultaneously. Professional legal and architectural assistance is strongly recommended. This step alone can take 6–24 months.
Step 5 — Complete all remaining declarations
Once authorisation is obtained, file the standard mairie declaration (Cerfa 14004*04) and, from no later than 20 May 2026, register on the national télé-service. Register for taxe de séjour collection with the municipal finance service.
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Platform Reporting and Non-Resident Landlords

Since 2020, platforms must verify compliance with local registration requirements and report annual rental income to the DGFiP (CGI Art. 242 bis). Non-resident landlords using foreign platforms have no anonymity advantage — all French-situs properties are subject to French reporting obligations regardless of the platform's country of incorporation. From May 2026, platforms will be required to verify and display the national registration number and to remove listings that cannot provide one.

Changement d'Usage: The Essentials
  • Statutory basis (CCH Art. L 631-7): in 251+ communes, prior authorisation from the maire is required to convert a non-primary-residence property to tourist use. Applies automatically in communes of 200,000+ inhabitants and Paris metropolitan departments. Any other commune can adopt it by demonstrating a housing shortage.
  • Primary residence exception (CCH Art. L 324-1-1): landlords letting their own résidence principale are exempt from changement d'usage authorisation — but still subject to the 120-day annual cap (reducible to 90 days by municipal deliberation from January 2025), mairie declaration, national registration, and taxe de séjour.
  • Compensation mechanism (Paris and some communes): authorisation requires simultaneously converting commercial premises of equivalent surface to residential use. In central Paris this is effectively prohibitive for most individual investors. The vast majority of non-primary-residence tourist meublé in Paris are therefore unlicensed.
  • Penalties (CCH Art. L 651-2): operating without required authorisation — fine up to €100,000 per property plus periodic penalty (astreinte) up to €1,000 per day until compliance. Letting agents and platforms knowingly listing non-compliant properties face the same exposure. EU-based non-residents can have French court orders enforced via Brussels I Regulation.
  • National registration — May 2026 (loi Le Meur 2024, L. n° 2024-1039): all tourist meublé must register on the national télé-service no later than 20 May 2026. Platforms will be required to verify and display the national registration number and remove listings that cannot provide one. This obligation applies regardless of commune or authorisation status.
  • Platform reporting (CGI Art. 242 bis): platforms transmit landlord income data to DGFiP annually. Non-resident landlords have no anonymity advantage from using foreign platforms — all French-situs properties are captured. From May 2026, platforms must verify national registration numbers and remove non-compliant listings.
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This article is for general information and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Laws and regulations may have changed since publication. Always seek qualified French legal advice before operating a tourist meublé in a regulated commune.