Owner guide · Mont-Blanc valley
Two ways to let your chalet or apartment short-term, two very different tax regimes. Here is the essential, explained simply — with the full comparison and the official sources to go further.
Reading time: 5 minutes · Updated August 2026 · Estimate my rental income
Para-hotel services
Are enough to switch
Nights maximum per stay
VAT on the accommodation
The essentials in 30 seconds
In both cases you let your property furnished, short-term. What changes everything is what comes with the letting — and the tax consequences that follow.
Option 1
You let your property furnished, without structured hotel services. This is the most common setting (LMNP status for most owners).
VS
Option 2
You let your property with services comparable to a hotel (at least 3 out of 4). Your activity is then treated as hotel activity for tax purposes.
The rule that tips the balance
The French tax authority (article 261 D 4°-b of the General Tax Code) lists 4 services. If you offer at least 3 of them to your guests — for stays of 30 nights or less — your letting falls under para-hotellerie.
1
Offered to all guests, on site or delivered.
2
Cleaning carried out during the stay, not only on arrival and departure.
3
Bed linen, towels and bathroom linen provided to every guest.
4
A welcome for guests, even if not personalised (in person or an equivalent system).
3 / 4services offered = the para-hotel regime, for stays of 30 nights or less.
Side by side
| Classic furnished rental | Para-hotellerie | |
|---|---|---|
| Principle | Letting the furnished property, without structured hotel services. | Letting + at least 3 of the 4 hotel services (breakfast, regular cleaning, linen, reception). |
| VAT on the rent | No — rent is exempt from VAT. | Yes — 10% VAT on the accommodation (the small-business exemption may apply below the thresholds). |
| Reclaiming VAT | No — no VAT reclaimable on works, furniture or purchase. | Yes — VAT reclaimable on expenses linked to the activity (works, equipment…), subject to conditions. |
| Simplified taxation (micro-BIC) | Unrated holiday rental: 30% allowance up to €15,000 of income. Rated property: 50% allowance up to €77,700. | Falls under the rules for para-hotel activities — the real regime is the usual setting once the activity is structured. |
| Real regime & depreciation | Yes — actual costs deducted and the property depreciated. | Yes — the same mechanisms, plus reclaimable VAT. |
| Operating requirements | Flexible: reception and cleaning organised as you wish. | Real: the 3 services must genuinely be offered to every guest, at all times. |
| Status & formalities | LMNP in most cases, declaration of the holiday rental at the town hall. | A commercial activity: registration, accounting and heavier social obligations (to be confirmed with an accountant). |
| Best for | The majority of owners: simplicity, lighter taxation, flexibility. | High-turnover properties, major works or a recent purchase (where VAT matters), intensive year-round operation. |
Figures applying to 2025-2026 income (after the “Le Meur” law of November 2024). Thresholds are revised regularly — see the official sources below.
In practice
A second home let during school holidays and the summer. Moderate income, and a wish to keep things simple.
Classic furnished rental
An optimised property, high occupancy in winter and summer, substantial income. The holiday-rental star rating and the real regime are worth examining.
Optimised classic (rating + real regime)
An off-plan purchase, major works, an ambition to operate intensively with services. Reclaimable VAT can change the equation — worth costing precisely.
Para-hotellerie worth examining
Every situation is different: the right choice depends on your income, your property, your plans for works and your personal circumstances. That is exactly what we look at with you, alongside your accountant.
From the regime to real figures
The tax regime decides what you keep after tax. The estimator gives you the starting point: the income your property can generate over a year, already net of our commission and platform fees.
Immediate result · No sign-up · Chamonix › Megève · The estimate is calculated on the basis of a classic furnished rental.
Your questions
Yes. Our services already include hotel-grade linen, cleaning and welcoming guests — the operational base of para-hotellerie. We look at it with you and your accountant to see whether the regime suits your property, then structure the operation accordingly.
No. Reclaimable VAT is a real advantage on a recent purchase or major works, but the regime also means charging VAT on the rent and carrying heavier operating and accounting obligations. For many owners the classic furnished rental — particularly with the holiday-rental star rating — remains the better balance.
The rating (from 1 to 5 stars) gives you, under the classic furnished rental, a 50% micro-BIC allowance up to €77,700 of income, against 30% up to €15,000 for an unrated property. It is often the first optimisation to consider.
Yes. The taxation of short-term letting changes regularly (the “Le Meur” law of November 2024 already tightened the micro-BIC). This page is updated with each finance act; the official links below always take precedence.
Also worth reading
To go further
The reference texts, directly on the government websites. That is where the up-to-date rules are.
BOFiP · impots.gouv.fr
The official tax doctrine: definition of the 4 services, the 30-night condition, article 261 D of the tax code.
impots.gouv.fr
Micro-BIC, the real regime, and the reporting obligations of a furnished landlord.
impots.gouv.fr
The thresholds and allowances applying after the November 2024 reform.
service-public.fr
The compulsory declaration procedure (Cerfa form), commune by commune.
service-public.fr
The specific rules if the property let is your main residence.
economie.gouv.fr
An overview from the Ministry of the Economy: declaration, ceilings, taxation.
Information, not advice. This page sets out the main principles in force at the date of updating (August 2026), for information only. It is neither tax advice nor legal advice. Before taking any decision, have your situation confirmed by an accountant or a tax lawyer.
