Give us the power to regulate local real estate: Johanna Rolland, President of France Urbain.

34 mayors of major cities and presidents of town halls are proposing measures to regulate the apartment rental market, as the growth of tourist accommodation provided by platforms leads to a housing shortage in many French communities.

According to the French organization France Urban, tourist accommodation provided on platforms has taken an exponential growth course since 2008. This development is impacting peripheral and rural areas, incentivized by tax incentives for owners. In some suburbs of major cities, dozens of tourist accommodations are created each month. One tourist accommodation brings in 2.5 to 3 times more than a typical apartment rental. There is a 71% tax incentive for' 'classified tourist accommodation, compared to 30% for conventional rental apartments. Almost 1 million tourist accommodations have replaced 'regular' housing.

France Urban has been issuing warnings to the government for several years, but has faced support for liberalization policies and a lack of regulation in this area. Steps have been taken to levy a lodging tax and create a registration number for tourist accommodation, which allows for better data. However, the limitation' 'at 120 days, equal for all tenants, is easily circumvented by platforms and professional letting agents. In France, local authorities who introduce regulatory measures are systematically being sued.

The representatives of cities are coming under pressure and even threats. Expanding the category of cities with special conditions will strengthen the fiscal instruments of regulation and expand geographical coverage. Municipalities and associations of municipalities should have the legal, financial and human resources to implement and monitor regulatory measures for tourist accommodation.