Airbnb empties Moroccan cities: residents driven out by tourist rentals

The crisis is here, and it is being felt in people’s wallets. Whether in Rabat, Salé or Marrakech, the supply of long-term rental housing is collapsing in the face of soaring demand. According to industry professionals, this imbalance is not a matter of chance, but the result of several accumulating factors.

In Salé, a dormitory town par excellence for the capital, the assessment is bitter. A real estate agent interviewed by Hespress points to a paradox: entire buildings are ready for occupancy but remain desperately closed. Two major reasons explain this waste: the eternal inheritance disputes that freeze assets, but above all the visceral fear of landlords. Fearing bad payers and endless legal proceedings to recover their property, many landlords prefer to leave their apartments empty rather than take the risk of renting them out. Added to this is the desire to escape the tax authorities for those who refuse to declare their rental income.

In Marrakech, the situation is even more tense. The ochre city is bearing the brunt of the perverse effects of its tourism success. An agency manager speaks of a "silent crisis". Landlords are abandoning the traditional monthly rental for the immediate profitability of platforms like Airbnb. The result: the stock of apartments for residents is shrinking, and prices are soaring. This tension is exacerbated by the aftermath of the Al-Haouz earthquake, which has pushed many victims towards the city, and by the growing real estate pressure as Morocco prepares to host major sporting events, including the World Cup.

Faced with this "supply crisis", the government is trying to react. Adib Benbrahim, Secretary of State for Housing, has promised studies to encourage the private sector to invest specifically in rentals. But for citizens looking for a roof today, the urgency is very real.