Hosting via Air B&B?

[After the Storm 2]

Hope you have a lovely, interesting guest manonthemoon and I don’t mean “interesting” as in odd, but as in it’s always nice to meet different people.

[Crystal]

We've just returned home tonight from a trip to La Rochelle, we stayed 2 nights in an airB&B. It was a spare room in a private house where the owners live and they were present during our stay, but we had private use of a bathroom and there was a fridge, microwave and coffee machine in an alcove off the landing and a TV in the room.

We were given front door and room keys and assume that doors leading to their own living area were locked.

Each morning home-made pancakes and cake had appeared on top of the fridge and so we had no need to communicate with the owners after our arrival, nor would we have expected to.

MOTM, I don't think anyone booking a cheap AirB&B expects anything more than just a bed for the night and a simple breakfast.

[bluebird]

AirB&B is probably the best platform for letting rooms. Easy process for both host and guest.

And a nightmare for society.... but who cares about that as long as “I” can make money. Other platforms do allow for renting rooms rather than whole places, like chambres-hote.fr or abritel. I find it sad that airbnb puts so much into publicity that it is starting to wipe out all the other sites which charge less.

And for maninthemoon - you have registered at your mairie haven’t you?

I wouldn't say the Air B&B model is perfect, it does have it's downside, but lot's of positives as well.

[manonthemoon]

Form completed and stamped by the Maire.

I thought it was something to do with impots, but they told me it's for taxe de sejour.

Do we have to contact someone to let them know we've had guests, or is it something that is done automatically?

Sorry for questions, new to this.

[Lapourtaider]

Our communauté de communes (who manage the taxe de séjour)has a website that you create your login and manage all your stays from. I think they sent me the initial link after they received my form from the Mairie. Then twice a year you get a bill for the TDS.

[Lapourtaider]

Form completed and stamped by the Maire.

I thought it was something to do with impots, but they told me it's for taxe de sejour.

Do we have to contact someone to let them know we've had guests, or is it something that is done automatically?

Sorry for questions, new to this.

Our communauté de communes (who manage the taxe de séjour)has a website that you create your login and manage all your stays from. I think they sent me the initial link after they received my form from the Mairie. Then twice a year you get a bill for the TDS.

You're welcome

[After the Storm 2]

It’s easy to miss replies if you don’t subscribe to a thread. How about a thank you from me just now and I’m sure moth will be back on later. I have bookmarked your post, could be useful if we have to diversify and look at different options.

[clothmama]

Awful company, destroying peoples businesses. If they have their way they will drive the whole tourism market down to barely anything, destroy the competition and then hike up prices etc once they have control of the market.

They do what they want when they want. I'd put a friends gite up on there and they randomly cut her prices without telling / asking / explaining. When she contacted them they said that they had done it because other properties in her area were much cheaper. When she looked they were all basically unrenovated since the 70s / 80s family holiday homes that they put up for when they weren't using it. Her property is a gorgeous renovated old watermill. Not at all the same thing. They refused to change it back so she had to delete. Many stories all over the internet the same. Use at your (and ultimately everyone else in tourism's) peril!

[Catrose]

Not all communes are as advanced as to have an online system. Ours remains steadfastly “French”, and still requires us to fill in two pieces of paper (both with nearly the same info on them) and send it with a cheque three times a year.....

But also look at AirBnB info as in many areas of France they have now taken responsibility for collecting taxe de séjour. They were receiving lots of complaints from us traditional rental people that AirBnB’ers were bypassing the system.

https://www.airbnb.fr/help/article/2284 ... -en-france

If yours isn’t one of the areas, then phone or visit your local tourist office to ask them (unless lots of rental accommodation in your commune your marie may not be up to speed).

You may also want to discuss joining your local tourist office, as they will have a list of B&Bs they promote.

[manonthemoon]

A big thank you to everyone for your help.

I'll report back on how it goes