Paris cracks down on unregistered Airbnb properties

Airbnb has a long history of legal struggles in various cities in which it operates. Now, according to a report in AFP, Paris has requested that Airbnb comply with new regulations to register with the city.

If the company (along with four other competitors -- HomeAway, Paris Attitude, Sejourning and Windu) won't de-list apartments that owners haven't registered with the city, Paris plans to take them to court.

AFP reports that the city has received complaints that short-term holiday rentals like Airbnb's have increased property speculation, pricing hotels out of the market.

The new registration allows Paris to make sure that apartments and other housing spaces aren't rented out for more than the maximum of 120 days per year.

According to the report, only a fifth of existing properties have been registered. Officials have flagged around 1,000 Airbnb listings (along with 400 or so from the other companies) that are not in compliance. "The least they can do is respect the law," Ian Brossat, deputy to Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, told AFP.

(ENGADGET)