What is a bed and breakfast?

The guest room is also called B&B (Bed and Breakfast)! A B&B is a furnished room with a private bathroom. Even if you have access to a common area or book all the rooms, the owner is free to come and go as he pleases in the common area, the only private area is the room. It is rented by the night and always includes breakfast and services.

Offering a bed and breakfast implies hosting the guest. It is a professional activity of a commercial or agricultural nature. It can be carried out all year round or on a seasonal basis. The landlord must first register with the town hall, be registered and join the social security system.

Staying in a "Gîtes de France" guest house means that you are sure to be welcomed as friends by the owners of the property, who have renovated or created rooms in their own home or next door. Some of them also offer you to share the evening meal at the table d'hôtes: excellent for discovering local specialities, home-made food and good local addresses!

The difference with a gîte:

A gîte is a house or flat, furnished and fully equipped. Gites are designed to accommodate between 2 and 15 people and are graded according to their level of comfort. Some gîtes offer 'all-inclusive' packages where linen, towels and end-of-stay cleaning are included. Gites are usually rented on a weekly basis but can also be rented for a weekend or for short or long stays. It is not possible to rent them by the night.

Capacity of a bed and breakfast

The capacity is limited to 5 rooms and 15 guests at a time. Please note that offering more than 5 rooms for rent or hosting more than 15 guests at the same time is an activity that corresponds either to running a hotel or renting rooms in a private home. In this case, you must comply with the regulations for establishments open to the public (ERP) and with the rules on accessibility for disabled people.

Mandatory services

The rental of a guest room must include the provision of a night's accommodation (including the provision of household linen) and breakfast. The guest must be hosted by the owner, who lives on the premises. The cleaning of the rooms and sanitary facilities must be carried out on a daily basis at no extra cost.

Optional service: table d'hôtes

The name 'table d'hôtes' indicates that the guest house owner offers a meal. The table d'hôtes is not a restaurant. It is a service that complements the accommodation and is reserved for the occupants of the guest rooms only. The meal must be taken at the family table. It must consist of a single menu. The table d'hôtes is subject to a number of regulations. These include:

• Obligation to inform the consumer about the prices charged (e.g. whether drinks are included or not)
  

• Compliance with hygiene and food safety rules (drinking water supply, hygiene of surfaces and utensils, sanitary facilities for staff, etc.)
  

Room

Reference text and law

Code du tourisme : articles L324-3 to L324-5 _ Conditions of rental and compulsory declaration to the town hall

Code du tourisme : articles D324-13 à D324-16 _ Activity of renting rooms and comfort and conformity of the rooms

Commercial Code: articles L123-1 to L123-11-8 _ Obligation to register with the RCS

General Tax Code: articles 35 bis and 35 ter. Exemption for furnished rentals General Tax Code: articles 278-0 bis to 279 bis _ VAT liability (article 279)

General Tax Code: articles 1407 to 1407 ter _ Liability to property tax

General Tax Code: articles 1449 to 1466 _ Exemption from CFE: article 1459

Tourism Code: article L327-1 _ Sanctions in case of undue use of regulated names in terms of tourist accommodation

Consumer Code: article L131-5 _ Sanction in case of non-compliance with price information obligations

Order of 18 December 2015 on the advertising of prices of market tourist accommodation (except for furnished tourist accommodation or open-air hotels) Price display (articles 6 and 7)

Circular of 23 December 2013 on the main regulations applicable to bed and breakfast hirers _ Provision of an invoice

Circular DSS/SD5B/2013/100 of 14 March 2013 on the affiliation of B&B hirers to the social security system _ Obligation of affiliation to the social security system

Decree n°87-149 of 6 March 1987 fixing the minimum conditions of comfort and habitability of the premises put up for rent