The announcement came at the beginning of the week: the city of Nice is issuing an order to remove keys boxes that have been illegally installed on urban furniture and public spaces, with the aim of preserving the quality of life for residents.
It’s no secret that the Azurean capital is highly popular with tourists. Falling victim to its success, Nice was one of the first cities to initiate a policy limiting short-term rentals in 2014. More recently, in 2022, out of 1,338 applications processed, 750 were refused (56% compared to 16 refusals in 2020). With a housing crisis in full swing in the department, the city intends to go further in limiting this activity:
“With Nice being the second city after Paris in terms of short-term rental listings, I wanted to implement a strong regulatory policy from 2014, with a change-of-use and compensation procedure to maintain a balance in the supply on our territory. In the current context of a housing crisis, we are going further today in limiting this activity when it is not declared and thus becomes a primary lucrative activity. We have issued an order that will allow us to remove the key boxes illegally installed on urban furniture and public spaces. This will encourage owners of short-term rentals to comply with the regulations,” announced Christian Estrosi.
Practices Deemed Illegal
Noticing the numerous key boxes illegally installed on urban furniture and public spaces, the City has decided to act. To this end, a sworn officer will verify the installation of these boxes. They will affix a dated sticker indicating this measure to the owners, requiring removal without delay. Additionally, a formal notice will be sent to the building’s management company concerned. If the owner does not act, the key boxes will be removed from urban furniture within a maximum of 15 days. Owners will be able to retrieve them from the municipal police’s lost and found office (42 rue Dabray), provided they present proof of identity and ownership.
