Règlement Intérieur for French STR 2026: Bilingual Template

Règlement Intérieur for French STR 2026: Legal Requirements and Bilingual Template

A French meublé de tourisme should display a règlement intérieur (house rules) and provide a livret d'accueil (welcome booklet) covering the content French practice treats as mandatory: the numéro d'enregistrement, the check-out procedure, the 22h-7h noise curfew, waste-sorting instructions (poubelle jaune / verte), safety information and insurance contacts. For a foreign owner, these two documents are also your first line of defence: they make house rules enforceable against a guest, protect your copropriété relationship, and answer the questions that otherwise generate 2 a.m. messages. This guide explains what each document must contain in 2026 and gives you a bilingual FR + EN structure to adapt.

English-speaking owners tend to treat house rules as an Airbnb text box. In France the documents carry more weight: the mairie expects certain information to be physically available in the property, the copropriété can hold you responsible for guest behaviour, and in a deposit dispute the platforms ask whether the rule the guest broke was actually communicated. A laminated règlement on the wall and a livret in the entrance solve all three at once.

Two Documents, Two Jobs

The règlement intérieur and the livret d'accueil are often confused. Keep them separate:

• Règlement intérieur: one or two pages of binding rules — noise, smoking, occupancy, pets, parties, check-out obligations. Displayed visibly in the property (entrance or living room) and mirrored in your platform listing's house rules so acceptance is contractual.
• Livret d'accueil: the practical welcome booklet — wifi, appliances, waste sorting, transport, emergency numbers, your registration details. It reduces support messages and demonstrates the professionalism inspectors and classement assessors look for.

What French Law and Practice Require You to Communicate

No single statute prescribes a full template, but several distinct obligations converge on these documents, and together they define the minimum content:

Item	Source of the obligation	Where it goes
Numéro d'enregistrement (13 characters)	Code du tourisme; reinforced by Loi Le Meur (Law no. 2024-1039)	Livret + listing (mandatory on platforms)
Taxe de séjour: amount and who collects it	Communal deliberation; guest information duty	Livret
Safety instructions, emergency numbers 18 / 15 / 112, property address	General safety duty of the operator	Règlement + livret, FR and EN
Noise curfew and copropriété rules	Tapage nocturne rules; règlement de copropriété	Règlement
Waste sorting instructions	Communal waste rules	Livret
Maximum occupancy (matching your declared capacity)	Your mairie declaration and EU 2024/1028 data sheet	Règlement
Insurance and emergency contacts	Practical necessity; some insurers require it	Livret

Two of these deserve emphasis in 2026. First, the numéro d'enregistrement: under EU Regulation 2024/1028, fully applicable from 20 May 2026, the capacity and property data you communicate anywhere must match your official data sheet — so the occupancy limit in your règlement should be the same figure you declared to the mairie. Second, the taxe de séjour: if Airbnb collects it automatically but you also take direct bookings, the livret should state the per-person, per-night amount so direct guests are not surprised.

Noise: The 22h-7h Curfew and Your Copropriété

Night-time noise (tapage nocturne) is sanctionable in France during the 22h-7h window, and daytime noise can also be sanctioned if it is repeated or excessive. For an STR owner the real risk is not the guest's fine — it is the neighbours. Since the Loi Le Meur, a copropriété can restrict short-term rental activity more easily (a two-thirds majority instead of unanimity), and a file of noise complaints is exactly what motivates such a vote. Your règlement should therefore state:

• Quiet hours 22h00-07h00: no music audible outside the apartment, no gatherings on balconies
• No parties or events — and say it explicitly; "no parties" is the single most enforced platform rule
• Maximum occupancy, including visitors, equal to your declared capacity
• A reminder that the building's règlement de copropriété applies to guests

Waste Sorting: Poubelle Jaune, Verte and Local Variations

Waste sorting is the most commune-specific section of the livret and the one foreign guests get wrong most often. The typical French scheme: the poubelle jaune (yellow) takes recyclables — packaging, paper, cardboard, plastic bottles; the ordinary household bin (grey or green lid depending on the commune) takes general waste; glass goes to street glass containers (borne à verre), not the yellow bin. Many tourist communes fine buildings, not individuals, for repeated sorting errors, which lands the problem on your copropriété and, again, on you. In the livret, give:

• A photo of the actual bins for your building and their location
• Collection days if bins must be put out (common for houses)
• The nearest glass container location
• One line in English: "Yellow bin = packaging and paper. Glass goes to the street container. Everything else = household bin."

Check-in and Check-out Procedures

Spell out the check-out procedure as a numbered list — this is the section that protects your cleaning schedule and your deposit claims:

1. Check-out time (e.g. before 10h00) and what happens if it is missed
2. Where to leave keys or how the smart lock code expires
3. State of the property expected: dishes done or in dishwasher, rubbish out per the sorting rules, windows closed, heating to the stated setting
4. How to report damage before leaving (a guest who self-reports is a claim with evidence; one who does not is a dispute)

If you use self check-in with a smart lock, the livret should also cover the legal side of access instructions and note your emergency contact for lock failures — the most common panic message a remote owner receives.

Bilingual Template Structure (FR + EN)

Produce both documents in French first, English second — French because inspectors, neighbours and French guests expect it; English for your international guests. A working structure:

Règlement intérieur / House rules (1 page, displayed)

• Capacité maximale / Maximum occupancy: "Ce logement est prévu pour X personnes maximum. / This property accommodates a maximum of X guests."
• Calme / Quiet hours: "Silence entre 22h et 7h. Fêtes et événements interdits. / Quiet between 10 pm and 7 am. Parties and events are prohibited."
• Tabac / Smoking: "Logement non-fumeur. / Non-smoking property."
• Animaux / Pets: state your policy explicitly either way.
• Copropriété: "Le règlement de copropriété s'applique aux occupants. / The building rules apply to all occupants."
• Départ / Check-out: the numbered procedure above, condensed.
• Sécurité / Safety: emergency numbers 18 / 15 / 112, address of the property, location of extinguisher and exits.

Livret d'accueil / Welcome booklet (5-10 pages, in the entrance)

• Welcome page with the property name, exact address and your numéro d'enregistrement
• Wifi, heating, hot water and appliance instructions (photos beat text)
• Waste sorting section with bin photos
• Taxe de séjour: amount per person per night and whether the platform collected it
• Emergency and practical contacts: you, the conciergerie or co-host, the syndic for building issues, and your insurer's assistance line for incidents like water damage (dégât des eaux)
• Neighbourhood: transport, bakery, pharmacy, market days — the section that earns review points

Making the Rules Enforceable

A rule only helps you if you can point to the guest's acceptance of it. Close the loop:

• Copy the règlement's key points into the House Rules field on Airbnb and the property policies in the Booking.com Extranet — acceptance at booking makes them contractual
• Reference the règlement in your rental conditions for direct bookings, with the deposit (caution) clause next to it
• Keep the displayed version and the platform version consistent; in a dispute, a discrepancy is used against you
• Date the document and review it annually — at the same time as your EU 2024/1028 data-sheet update before 20 May, so capacity and property details stay aligned everywhere

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the règlement intérieur legally mandatory for a meublé de tourisme?

There is no single article saying "display house rules", but the components — registration number availability, safety information, taxe de séjour information, declared capacity — are obligations from separate sources, and the règlement plus livret is the standard way French professionals meet them. Classement inspectors and many insurers expect both documents.

Does it need to be in French if all my guests book in English?

Produce it bilingually. French guests, neighbours, inspectors and the mairie work in French; a French-only or English-only document fails half its audience. The FR + EN two-column format is the cleanest solution.

Can I forbid parties outright, and does it hold up?

Yes. A no-parties, no-events clause displayed in the property and accepted at booking is enforceable through the platforms (cancellation without refund for breach) and is your best evidence in a copropriété dispute. Pair it with a noise monitor (decibel sensor, no audio recording) if the property has a party history.

Who is responsible if guests sort waste wrongly or make noise — me or them?

The guest is responsible in the moment, but the durable consequences land on you: complaints accumulate against the property, and post-Loi Le Meur the copropriété can restrict STR with a two-thirds vote. Clear written rules plus a responsive local contact are how you keep the complaint file empty.

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