Paris may ban key boxes for Airbnb tenants

Paris will consider banning the installation of key boxes in public places, another step in France's fight against unlicensed rental apartments for tourists, including those provided through Airbnb, Bloomberg writes, UNN reports.

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Next month, the Paris City Council will vote on a proposal to ban the placement of these boxes in public places in Paris. Key boxes are used by landlords for short-term stays so that they can give keys to tenants without meeting them in person. While they will still be allowed on private property, apartment owners will be able to install lockboxes in buildings only with the consent of other residents. This rule already exists, but will be fully implemented for the first time.

If the proposal is approved, Paris would join an existing group of six French cities, including Nice, Lille, and Annecy, that have banned key boxes from public spaces and require landlords wishing to install one in a shared lobby to obtain permission from the tenants' association. In these cities, the authorities simply put a sticker on any box they find - both in public and shared private spaces - requiring the owner to contact the city for approval within two weeks. If the city does not hear from the owner within this period, the box is removed. If the owner files a complaint, the box can still be removed if it is illegally located in a public place or if other homeowners in the building object.

The main reason for the introduction of the law against the boxes is aesthetic. With the boom of Airbnb, microsafes have spread rapidly across many cities around the world, appearing on walls, around doorways, and even on lampposts, railings, and bicycle racks. Paris Councilman Yann Brosa mocks the boxes, calling them "pollution" - a visually intrusive daily reminder of how many of their neighbors are just passing through. 

The city hopes that stricter restrictions on lockboxes could also help in a broader crackdown on illegal rentals, simply by adding another layer of monitoring. Key boxes are one of the tools of anonymity that makes it easier to manage a vacation or holiday apartment, ignoring local rules about permits or the maximum number of nights per year, the publication points out.

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