Airbnb offers to reduce rental time for owners

Airbnb has said it will limit rentals in Paris to just a maximum total of 120 nights a year as it faces anger from both the hotel trade, who accuse the holiday giant of unfair competition, and city officials who say its hosts are breaking French law.

The US company has already done the same in Amsterdam and London and its new conditions would meet the legal requirement for people offering their main residence for rental, as a main residence must be occupied for at least eight months a year.

Hotel owners’ federation Umih said it was just a smokescreen and while Paris mairie said it was an advance it added that the city was losing 20,000 potential homes through such trade.