Lyon, Bordeaux and Nice: The 90-Night Caps Beyond Paris

Lyon, Bordeaux and Nice, like Paris, saw principal-residence caps cut from 120 to 90 nights under loi Le Meur. The shared number can mislead: it suggests three identical regimes, when in fact each city applies the cap through its own commune procedures, housing pressures and enforcement habits. A host who moves a Paris routine to Lyon without checking Lyon's portal may miss a local step, a different declaration detail, or a different enforcement emphasis, even though the cap number matches.

The shared number is still useful. It tells a host with properties in several of these cities that the principal-residence ceiling is now 90 in each, so a single tracker target can be used, with city-specific notes attached. Use the shared target for planning, but city-specific procedures for compliance. That combination, shared ceiling plus local procedure, is the practical way to manage multiple cities.

Lyon's housing and tourism pressures differ from Paris, and its commune implementation reflects local priorities. Hosts in Lyon should check the commune declaration process, any local guidance on principal-residence proof, and how the city counts nights, rather than assuming Paris guidance transfers. Lyon hosts should also check building and condo rules, which can be decisive in apartment buildings where short lets affect neighbours directly.

A Lyon host's file should mirror the Paris file in structure, declaration, cap tracker, stay log, building permission, but with Lyon sources and dates. That structural similarity helps a multi-city host, while city-specific contents prevent Paris assumptions from creeping into Lyon compliance. Date every Lyon note separately from Paris notes.

Bordeaux combines a historic centre, wine tourism and a housing market where short lets are closely watched. Hosts should expect commune attention to classification: principal residence versus second home, and to change-of-use where it applies. A Bordeaux second home should not be managed as if the 90-night principal-residence cap authorised it. The second-home guide in this cluster explains the separate route, and Bordeaux hosts should read it alongside this guide.

Bordeaux's seasonal pattern also matters for tracking. Summer peaks can consume much of a 90-night allowance quickly, leaving little room for autumn or winter lets. A monthly tracker that shows remaining nights after the summer peak lets a host plan the rest of the year deliberately, rather than discovering in October that the allowance is exhausted.

Nice's coastal tourism and apartment stock make building rules especially important. Many Nice short lets sit in apartment buildings where condo rules, common-area use and neighbour relations decide whether hosting is viable in practice, regardless of the city cap. A Nice host should check condo rules before furnishing for short lets, and should keep guest information specific to the building, including waste, noise and common-area rules.

Nice seasonality is also sharp, with summer demand far above winter. Hosts who let heavily in summer should track nights weekly during peak season, not monthly, so the cap balance stays visible while bookings are still arriving. A weekly peak-season check is a small habit that prevents a cap breach during the busiest weeks.

A multi-city host needs one tracker per property, each with its city, cap, counting year and remaining nights, reviewed together monthly. A single combined total across cities is meaningless, since caps apply per property per city, not per host. Reviewing them together, however, lets a host see which property is near its cap and which has room, and plan pricing and availability accordingly.

Platform settings should follow the tracker, not the other way round. When a property nears its cap, block dates on every platform and for direct bookings at the same time. Blocking on one platform while leaving another open is a common multi-platform error that produces a breach despite good intentions on the first platform.

Before each season, recheck each city's portal for declaration, counting and enforcement updates, and update the property file with the check date. Cities can change procedures without changing the cap number, so a host who watches only the number will miss procedural change. Keep city notes separate, dated and sourced, and treat any change in one city as a prompt to check the others, not as a change that automatically applies to them.

This guide is general information only for Lyon, Bordeaux and Nice principal residences, last verified on 26 October 2026. Verify each city's current steps on service-public.fr and the city portal before acting.