Furnished tourist lets
Getting your let classified: what it still buys you, and what it does not
A star rating (classement meublé de tourisme) is sold as the obvious upgrade for a French short let. It is voluntary, it still helps at tax time, and it also comes with a renewal, an inspection, and a list of things it never covered in the first place.
Nothing is switched on until you say so.
What it is
A voluntary rating, one to five stars, good for five years
An inspector from an accredited body checks the property against a national grid of 133 criteria and proposes one to five stars. Nothing requires it: a furnished tourist let can operate unclassified, and a main home can be classified too.
- Step 1Pick an inspection bodyAny body accredited by COFRAC or approved for the purpose. Atout France publishes the list, and each body sets its own price.
- Step 2The visitEquipment, service to guests, accessibility and sustainability. Some criteria are mandatory, others optional, and the floor area has to suit the number of guests.
- Step 3A proposed ratingYou receive the inspection report, the completed grid and the number of stars proposed.
- Step 415 days to refuseRefuse in writing within 15 days if you disagree. Say nothing and the rating stands.
- Step 5Five years of starsShow the official plaque and logo, then book a new visit before it runs out. A new owner needs a new classification.
The tax edge has narrowed
Classified still beats unclassified. It no longer beats it by much.
The Le Meur law of November 2024 cut both flat allowances from receipts earned in 2025. A classified let now gets exactly what an ordinary furnished let gets; an unclassified one gets what an unfurnished one gets.
- Classified tourist letCeiling €188.700, now €77.700
- Receipts until 202471%Receipts from 202550%
- Unclassified tourist letCeiling €77.700, now €15.000
- Receipts until 202450%Receipts from 202530%
- Ordinary furnished let, for comparisonCeiling €77.700, unchanged
- Receipts until 202450%Receipts from 202550%
Where your receipts sit decides what the stars are worth
- Up to €15.000 a yearStars lift the allowance from 30% to 50%On €10.000 of receipts, €7.000 is taxable unclassified and €5.000 classified.
- €15.000 to €77.700 a yearThis is where the stars matter mostUnclassified, the flat allowance is closed and you declare actual costs (régime réel). Classified, the 50% allowance stays open: on €30.000, €15.000 is taxable.
- Over €77.700, or on the régime réel by choiceThe stars change nothing on taxYou deduct actual costs and depreciation either way, so decide on occupancy and listing visibility instead.
General micro-BIC rules for receipts from 1 January 2025, before social contributions. Several lets, a mix of classified and unclassified, or a year over the ceiling change the picture; your accountant confirms your own case.
Side by side
What the stars change, and what they leave exactly where it was
A common assumption is that a classified let sits outside the ordinary short-let rules. Six things move with a rating; six do not, and those six are where the fines are.
| Topic | Unclassified | Classified |
|---|---|---|
| What the stars change | ||
| Flat tax allowance (micro-BIC) | Unclassified30% | Classified50% |
| Ceiling for that allowance | Unclassified€15.000 | Classified€77.700 |
| Tourist tax (taxe de séjour) | UnclassifiedA percentage of the price per guest per night, from 1% to 5%, set by the commune | ClassifiedA fixed amount per guest per night, set by the commune for each star category |
| Holiday vouchers (chèques-vacances) | UnclassifiedCannot be accepted | ClassifiedYou can join the ANCV scheme and accept them |
| On your listings | UnclassifiedNo official rating | ClassifiedThe official star plaque and logo |
| Property taxes in a rural revitalisation zone | UnclassifiedDue as usual | ClassifiedCan be waived on the let, where the local councils have voted it |
| The same either way | ||
| Registration number | Every tourist let needs one, main home included, and it goes on every listing. The Le Meur law makes it compulsory in every commune from 20 May 2026, through a single national portal. Letting without one: a fine of up to €5.000. | |
| Change-of-use authorisation | Where the commune applies it, as Paris and most large cities do, a second home or an investment flat cannot be let short-term without it, however few the nights. Your main home within its night cap is outside it. Fine: up to €100.000 per home. | |
| Night cap on your main home | At most 120 nights a year, or as few as 90 where the commune has voted a lower cap. | |
| Energy rating (DPE) | A new change-of-use authorisation needs a DPE between A and E, and between A and D from 2034. From 2034, every tourist let that is not your main home must reach A to D in mainland France. | |
| Business property tax (CFE) | It turns on whether the let is part of your own home and on what the commune has voted, not on the stars. A dedicated investment flat owes it either way. | |
| Your building's co-ownership rules | Where the rules already bar commercial use, co-owners can now ban tourist lets without unanimity, and you must tell the managing agent your registration number. | |
The ongoing cost of keeping it
A rating is renewed, not granted for good
The five years run out, and keeping the stars costs more than the first visit.
A paid visit, every five years
The price is not regulated and each body sets its own. It is repeated at every renewal, not a one-off cost.
The checklist has to still be met
Equipment and quality criteria the property met once have to still hold years later, or the rating drops or lapses at the next visit.
Losing it loses the tax allowance too
A lapsed rating is not just a missing plaque on the door: the 50% allowance and the fixed tourist-tax rate go with it.
Where Dardaris fits
The classification stays a business decision. The paperwork around it does not have to.
Whatever you decide on the stars, the calendar, the night count and the renewal date are the part that quietly lapses if nobody is watching them.
One calendar, every channel
A night taken on Airbnb, Booking.com or Vrbo closes everywhere else, so a 120 or 90-night cap is one number, not four spreadsheets.
The renewal date, chased before it lapses
Alongside every other certificate and deadline the property carries, on one calendar.
Turnover and cleaning, scheduled from the calendar
The same booking data that tracks nights also books the turnaround between guests.
Questions about classifying a furnished tourist let
Is classifying a meublé de tourisme still worth it?
It still beats staying unclassified at tax time, a 50% allowance against 30%, and it keeps the flat allowance open up to 77,700 euros of receipts instead of 15,000. Under the régime réel it changes nothing on tax, so there decide on occupancy, holiday vouchers and listing visibility.
Does a classified let need a registration number?
Yes. Registration, and where the commune applies it the authorisation to change the property's use, apply to a classified let exactly as to an unclassified one; the star rating changes neither requirement.
How often does the classification need renewing?
Every five years, with a new paid visit from an accredited body each time. The rating lapses on its own if it is not renewed, taking the classified tax allowance with it.
Does classification raise the 120-night limit on a main residence?
No. The cap on letting a main residence short-term, 120 nights a year or as few as 90 where the commune has lowered it, applies whether or not the property is classified.
Who inspects the property, and what does it cost?
A body accredited by COFRAC or approved for the purpose, from the list Atout France publishes. The price is not regulated, so compare quotes. You then have 15 days to refuse the proposed rating.
Does a star rating change the tourist tax?
It changes how it is worked out, not whether it is due. Classified, it is a fixed amount per guest per night for the star category; unclassified, it is a percentage of the nightly price, between 1% and 5%, set by the commune.
Keep the calendar and the deadlines, whatever you decide on the stars.
Hand over one property and see the nights, the renewal dates and the compliance items it opens with.
14 days before the first charge · Nothing is switched on until you say so