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Airbnb faces possible fines over unregistered listings in Paris

A woman talks on the phone at the Airbnb office headquarters in the SOMA district of San Francisco, California, U.S., August 2, 2016
A woman talks on the phone at the Airbnb office headquarters in San Francisco.
Image Credit: REUTERS/Gabrielle Lurie

(Reuters) – The municipality of Paris has asked a French court to urgently fine Airbnb and two other small companies for unauthorized short-term letting, said an official with the city’s administration.

A hearing at a Paris court is scheduled for June 12.

Founded in 2008 in San Francisco, Airbnb matches people wishing to rent out all or part of their homes to temporary guests, via a website.

Ian Brossat, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of housing, told Le Parisien newspaper that Airbnb and other competitors had failed to take down listings lacking official registration numbers.


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Brossat said the municipality had asked for fines ranging from 1,000-5,000 euros ($1,236.4-$6,182) per day and per advertisement.

Officials with Airbnb were not immediately available for comment.

Earlier this month, a Singapore court fined two Airbnb hosts a total of $45,800 each for unauthorized short-term letting.

Several cities throughout the world have expressed concerns that platforms such as Airbnb might stand as unfair competitors to hotels.

France is Airbnb’s second-largest market after the United States. Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, is its biggest single market, with around 65,000 homes listed.