Who sets the rules in Villefranche-sur-Mer?
Villefranche-sur-Mer is one of the member towns of the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur. The split of roles is precise, and it explains much of the confusion we hear from owners.
The Métropole votes the change-of-use regulation: its Metropolitan Bureau adopted it for Villefranche. The town requested the regulation, examines applications and grants permits: under the Construction and Housing Code, change-of-use authorisation is granted by the mayor of the town where the property is located. Finally, the State sets the general framework: declaration of holiday lets, the day cap for a main residence and fines.
- 31 October 2023: Villefranche town council decides to introduce the change-of-use procedure and refers it to the Métropole.
- 11 December 2023: Metropolitan Bureau decision no. 4.9, ‘Town of Villefranche-sur-Mer – Adoption of the change-of-use regulation’, passed unanimously.
- 1 July 2024: the regulation takes effect, including for hosts already letting before that date.
- 26 January 2024: town council decision introducing mandatory registration of tourist accommodation.
Change-of-use control is not automatic outside large cities. For a town under 200,000 inhabitants, it applies only if the inter-municipal authority has introduced it. In Villefranche, it has applied since 1 July 2024.
Nice’s regulation of 22 June 2026 does not apply in Villefranche
This is the question owners around the bay ask us most often: do Nice’s new rules also cover Villefranche? The answer is no.
Decision no. 2.1 of the Metropolitan Council of 22 June 2026 adopts a regulation ‘for the city of Nice’, applicable from 1 September 2026. Its five-year temporary permits, its 4 quota zones (691 permits in 2026) and its 4-month review period, where silence means refusal, concern Nice only. The Métropole’s FAQ says so plainly: only Nice is concerned, and Villefranche-sur-Mer has had its own regulation since 1 July 2024.
Conversely, Villefranche’s regulation states that it applies ‘to the town of Villefranche-sur-Mer exclusively’. If you own property on both sides of the boundary, you therefore have two different regimes to follow. For Nice, see our change-of-use guide for Nice and our page on quota zones.
Second homes: the change-of-use permit
Letting a home repeatedly, for short stays, to guests who do not live there counts as a change of use. For a second home or a buy-to-let, a permit is required from the very first night. The whole town is covered.
Private owners: a personal six-year permit
An owner who is a private individual may obtain a single temporary permit, without compensation, lasting six years. It cannot be renewed, split into periods or suspended at the owner’s request. It is personal and non-transferable: it follows the person, not the property, and cannot be moved to another home.
Only one such permit is granted per tax household. A couple filing a joint tax return receives one. Joint owners under indivision count as a single owner, with the agreement of all co-owners.
After six years, or for a second property, the compensation regime applies.
Companies and SCIs: compensation from the first home
For a legal entity, including an SCI (property company), the permit is subject to compensation from the first home let as holiday accommodation. The permit is then permanent and attached to the property.
Compensation and the three sectors
Compensation means converting into housing, at the same time, premises that were not residential (an office, a shop, etc.). The premises offered must be of equivalent quality and floor area, fit to live in, and located in the same sector as the home being converted. The regulation divides the town into three sectors, drawn from a 2023 study: the port, the Col de Villefranche and Mont Leuze. Ground-floor shops with a street-facing window cannot be used as compensation.
To our knowledge, Villefranche has no numerical quota of permits, unlike Nice. The limit comes from the ‘one temporary permit per owner’ rule and from compensation, which is rare and costly in such a constrained town.
Applications are filed online on the platform indicated by the town hall, or by post to the change-of-use department, which also answers by email and phone on weekdays. Before buying a property to let, ask the department for written confirmation of your situation: it is the best habit to adopt.
Villefranche’s regulation sets a review period of two months from a complete application, and silence means approval. That is the opposite of Nice, where silence after 4 months means refusal. Do not mix up the two procedures.
Main residence: 120 days a year without a permit
If the property is your main residence, meaning you live there at least eight months a year, you may let it short term without a change-of-use permit, up to 120 days a year. Villefranche’s regulation, the town hall’s official page and the 2026 edition of its owner’s guide all use this 120-day cap. Guest rooms (chambres d’hôtes) in the owner’s home are not affected by change-of-use rules.
Since the Le Meur Act of 19 November 2024, a town may lower this cap to as little as 90 days by a reasoned council decision. Nice did so in 2025, before returning to 120 days on 1 September 2026. Some private websites state a 90-day cap in Villefranche from 2026: we found no official decision to that effect, and the town hall documents we checked on 5 October 2026 still say 120 days. If in doubt, ask the change-of-use department to confirm the figure in writing.
Beyond 120 days, letting your main residence falls under the change-of-use regime, and the Tourism Code also provides for a civil fine for exceeding the cap. Our guide to the main residence and the 120-day rule explains the principle, even though it is written for Nice.
Declaration and registration number
Every holiday let in Villefranche must be declared, main residences included, from the first night. Through its council decision of 26 January 2024, the town introduced declaration with registration: a local online service immediately issues a 13-character registration number. This number must appear on all your listings, and it is different from your change-of-use permit number. If you already have one, there is no need to apply again.
A change is coming. Since 20 May 2026, the Tourism Code has provided for declaration through a national online service. According to the Directorate-General for Enterprise, it is due to open in Q4 2026. Villefranche town hall states that its numbers will remain valid for 8 months after the State takes over; a new declaration will then be needed on the national service. Our page on the registration number tracks this timetable.
Penalties under the Tourism Code: fines of up to €10,000 for failing to declare and €20,000 for a false declaration or a false number. Letting without a change-of-use permit can lead to a civil fine of up to €100,000 per home, plus a possible daily penalty until the property returns to residential use.
Tourist tax and council tax
The tourist tax (taxe de séjour) is collected by the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur, at the same rates in all its member towns, and passed on to the metropolitan tourist office. In the Alpes-Maritimes, an additional regional tax of 34% is added. Airbnb collects and pays it for you.
Here is the point many owners miss: you must still open a host account on the Métropole’s tourist tax portal and declare your nights three times a year, at the end of each four-month period. For bookings made through a platform that collects the tax, the return comes to €0, with the platform’s CSV export attached. A period with no lettings must also be declared, at €0. Our tourist tax guide explains the mechanism.
As for council tax, Villefranche is among the towns allowed to apply a surcharge on second homes. At the town council meeting of 19 June 2023, the mayor said the town had raised it to the legal maximum of 60%. Check the rate applied on your tax notice.
Co-ownership, energy rating and tax
A change-of-use permit is always granted subject to third-party rights. If your building’s co-ownership rules prohibit holiday letting, the town’s permit does not protect you. The town hall in fact asks owners to certify that the rules do not prohibit it. Our guide to co-ownership rules and the Le Meur Act explains what your building can vote on.
The regulation also requires the home to be decent. On energy, the law requires an energy rating (DPE) between A and E to let as holiday accommodation when a change-of-use permit is sought: see our energy rating guide.
Tax rules are the same as in Nice. Under the micro-BIC regime for 2026 income, an unclassified holiday let receives a 30% allowance on receipts up to €15,000, against 50% up to €83,600 for a classified one. Social charges are 18.6%. For your return, read our guides on declaring Airbnb income and LMNP in 2026, then have your case checked by a chartered accountant.
The Villefranche letting market: the bay, cruise calls and the season
Demand in Villefranche rests on the bay, the old town and its citadel, and the railway station on the Nice–Monaco line. The bay welcomes many cruise-ship calls, which introduce the town to an international clientele.
The season starts early. The Combat Naval Fleuri, a flower battle on boats, fills the Port de la Santé during the Nice Carnival period (it took place on 16 February 2026). The Monaco Grand Prix in May fills homes all along the coast between Nice and Monaco. Summer remains the busiest period, with a strong share of overseas guests.
Scarcity has a flip side: with a single temporary permit per owner and compensation hard to find, every permit is valuable. Before any purchase, check the regulatory status of both the property and yourself. To gauge a property’s potential, use our income estimate or discover our Airbnb concierge service in Villefranche-sur-Mer: a 20% commission excl. VAT (24% incl. VAT) on revenue, no lock-in, and a detailed report every Friday.
Sources and date of verification
The rules above were checked on 5 October 2026 against the following official sources. They may change: before any decision, contact the town hall’s change-of-use department and, for your personal situation, a notaire, a lawyer or a chartered accountant.
- Villefranche-sur-Mer town hall, ‘Changement d’usage’ page (villefranche-sur-mer.fr/mairie/changement-dusage).
- Metropolitan Bureau decision no. 4.9 of 11 December 2023, enforceable from 15 December 2023.
- Villefranche-sur-Mer change-of-use regulation applicable from 1 July 2024.
- Villefranche-sur-Mer owner’s guide to holiday lets, 2026 edition, and the town leaflet ‘Louer son logement ou son meublé touristique’.
- Minutes of the Villefranche-sur-Mer town council meeting of 19 June 2023.
- Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur: change-of-use FAQ and Nice regulation (decision no. 2.1 of 22 June 2026).
- Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur tourist tax portal (taxedesejour.ofeaweb.fr).
- Légifrance, Article L324-1-1 of the Tourism Code (version in force from 20 May 2026); service-public.fr; Directorate-General for Enterprise (API Meublés).
