Paris sues Airbnb for running illegal rental ads

The city of Paris is suing a tourist rental platform Airbnb for allegedly running illegal advertisements. The city is on a crackdown on Airbnb properties that are unregistered with the court.

As part of the latest efforts, the city mayor, Anne Hidalgo, told Le Journal du Dimanche that Airbnb will witness a record fine for violating French laws.

The company is accused of running over 1000 illegal ads, each inviting a fine of 12,500 euros. This could take the damage up to nearly USD 14.2 million if all the ads are deemed illegal.

As Engadget reported, owners are allowed to rent out their homes only 120 days per year in the city. However, some multi-owners rent all year to tourists without declaring them, and Airbnb is accused of welcoming such a breach.

Airbnb said that it had taken steps to ensure people follow the law but claimed that the Parisian approach was in contravention of European rules.