Politics
Nice Limits Short-Term Rentals to 90 Days, Boosting Long-Term Housing Supply
The City of Nice housing rules will cut short-term listings in residential zones starting August 2026 and add long-term leases for residents in areas such as Cimiez and the port district.
How we reported this
The Nice City Council passed the updated municipal housing ordinance on 2 July 2026 that limits short-term rentals to 90 days a year in residential zones. Property owners who exceed the cap face fines starting at 1,500 euros per listing. The change directly reduces the number of units available to tourists while increasing supply for year-round tenants seeking leases under 1,200 euros a month.
The ordinance follows the 2025 Nice Housing Assessment, which recorded a 15 percent rise in average rents over two years and identified 2,800 vacant units used only for occasional tourist bookings. City planners cited pressure on the local rental market from post-pandemic tourism recovery as the reason the measure was advanced now rather than in the 2027 budget cycle.
Residents in Cimiez and the port district stand to gain first access to newly converted units when owners register for long-term contracts. Families currently on waiting lists for social housing will see an estimated 400 additional apartments enter the regulated rental pool by the end of 2027, according to projections in the ordinance text.
Effects on property owners and visitors
Owners of second homes in central Nice who depend on peak-season bookings will lose roughly 60 percent of prior annual revenue once the 90-day limit takes effect. Tourism operators note that hotels in the same districts will face less competition from unregulated apartments but will also see fewer overflow visitors during summer months. The legislation states that enforcement will begin with registration checks in September 2026 and random inspections by municipal staff.
The 2026 Nice Municipal Budget allocates 850,000 euros for an online registry and compliance team to monitor listings. Local advocates note that the same document projects a 12 percent drop in tourist tax collections from short-term platforms over the next two years.
City hall will publish the first compliance report in January 2027 and will consider expanding the 90-day cap to additional neighborhoods if vacancy rates remain above 8 percent. Property owners have until 15 August 2026 to register existing listings or convert them to standard leases.