On the Basque coast, letting a villa no longer starts with a listing but with a legal question: can your property actually host guests at all? A luxury concierge in Biarritz worthy of the name first helps you answer that question, then sustains a season running from spring to autumn, between ocean, golf and thalassotherapy.
Luxury concierge Biarritz: from the Grande Plage to Chiberta
Biarritz is best read neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and the clientele changes from one street to the next. Around the Grande Plage and the Rocher de la Vierge, Art Deco and Belle Époque apartments attract an urban, international clientele attached to the view and to getting around on foot. The Côte des Basques, with its steps and surfers, appeals to a younger, sporty clientele, while Le Phare, Beaurivage and Saint-Charles are home to neo-Basque villas with red or green shutters, often with a garden. Further north, Anglet and the Chiberta forest offer houses among the pines, a stone’s throw from the golf course and the beaches of the Chambre d’Amour. To the south, Bidart and Guéthary, villages perched on the cliffs, then Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure around the bay, complete a coastline where each town has its own character. A concierge will tell you straight away what kind of stay your address can support.
Central Biarritz
Prestige apartments facing the ocean, urban clientele, short stays all year round.
Anglet and Chiberta
Villas in the pine forest, golf and beaches, families seeking space and calm.
Bidart and Guéthary
Village houses and clifftop villas, a clientele of surfers and regulars.
Saint-Jean-de-Luz
Harbour, sheltered bay and Basque houses, longer family stays in summer.
Holiday rental management in Biarritz: a season that stretches out
Holiday rental management in Biarritz is not just about July and August, and that is one of the Basque coast’s strengths. The Easter holidays and the May bank holidays open the season, June brings couples and golfers, and summer peaks with family and international demand. September and October extend activity thanks to the late season, the autumn swells sought by surfers and a light that discerning guests appreciate. Even winter keeps some demand, driven by thalassotherapy, weekends and the festive season. This long season calls for luxury short-term rental management able to adjust prices and minimum stays month by month, rather than a simple summer and winter rate card.
Regulations
Concierge in the Basque Country: compensation, a decisive rule
Before any question of service, a concierge in the Basque Country must master the most demanding regulation on the Atlantic coast. The Communauté d’agglomération Pays basque makes letting a second home as a meublé de tourisme (furnished tourist accommodation) subject to a changement d’usage (change of use) with mandatory compensation in 24 towns, including Bayonne, Biarritz, Anglet, Guéthary, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye. In practice, the owner must convert premises with another use and an equivalent floor area, located in the same town, into housing, or buy commercial rights from a third party who does so. Mixed lettings, alternating seasonal workers and tourists, are excluded. The Conseil d’État upheld this scheme on 11 June 2026 (no. 504736), ruling that the housing shortage constitutes an overriding reason of public interest and that the measure is not disproportionate. Neither Saint-Jean-de-Luz nor Bidart has lowered the cap to 90 days, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz grants only one authorisation per owner (town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz). Zoning concerns new builds: the PLUi (intercommunal local urban plan) voted in June 2025 reserves around 1,000 hectares of Biarritz, Bayonne, Anglet, Bidart and Boucau for main residences only, without affecting existing housing (trade press, 2025).
Concierge in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and the Basque coast: decide before you let
The compensation rule changes the way a project is approached, and a serious concierge in Saint-Jean-de-Luz or Biarritz will start with an assessment of your situation. If the villa is your résidence principale (main residence), you can let it for up to 120 days a year after registering at the mairie (town hall), with no change of use. If it is a second home, the authorisation requires compensation whose cost and feasibility must be studied before signing with a manager. In a co-ownership, the rules may prohibit tourist letting, which can be voted by the article 26 majority where a residential-use clause exists. The DPE (energy performance certificate) must be rated A to E for a new change of use application (ministry leaflet). Profitability, finally, depends on the regime chosen: our guide to short-term rental taxation details micro-BIC, the actual-expenses regime and classification.
| Your situation | What applies on the Basque coast |
|---|---|
| Main residence let occasionally | Registration at the town hall, number on the listing, 120 days a year maximum, cap maintained in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Bidart. |
| Second home in one of the 24 towns | Change of use with compensation: premises of equivalent area in the same town or purchase of commercial rights. |
| Apartment in a co-ownership | Read the rules, inform the syndic, risk of a ban voted by the article 26 majority. |
| Unclassified furnished let | Micro-BIC at 30% up to €15,000 of receipts, compared with 50% up to €83,600 if classified (2026 income, service-public.fr). |
| Tourist tax | Collected from the guest, paid over to the local authority, with a 10% additional departmental tax. |
Luxury concierge Biarritz: services adapted to the ocean
A villa facing the Atlantic ages faster than an inland house, and household management must take this into account. Salt and sea spray attack joinery, ironwork and outdoor furniture, sand gets into the floors, and humidity calls for ventilation and close monitoring of paintwork. The concierge organises hotel-standard housekeeping with photo inspection, professional linen, pool and garden maintenance, as well as storage designed for surfboards and golf bags. A personalised welcome, with a bilingual welcome book and recommendations on the Chiberta, Le Phare and Ilbarritz golf courses and the thalassotherapy centres, makes the difference with a demanding clientele. As for costs, one market survey cites an average commission of 20.7% in Biarritz and 20% to 40% in high season on the coast (rate cards published by industry players, 2026, an order of magnitude from a commercial source), to be weighed against additional costs.
Finding a luxury concierge in Biarritz: our introduction service
The introduction offered by conciergerie.luxe is free and with no obligation for the owner. You describe your property, its town, its capacity and its use, then your expectations in terms of services, presence and calendar. We review your request, including its regulatory situation, and look for a concierge active in your area of the Basque coast, without claiming to cover every town. Services are then provided by the concierge you choose, according to its offer and the contract you sign directly with it. Ask in particular whether it collects rent, in which case the Hoguet law carte G (property management licence) is essential.
- A team present on the Basque coast all year round, not just in summer.
- Precise knowledge of the compensation regulation and town hall procedures.
- Experience in maintaining villas exposed to salt and sea spray.
- A written mandate specifying the commission, its basis of calculation and additional costs.
- A condition report and photo inventory for every stay.
Frequently asked questions about luxury concierge services in Biarritz
Can a second home in Biarritz still be let?
Yes, but only by obtaining a change of use with compensation, which means converting premises with another use into housing in the same town or buying commercial rights. This scheme was upheld by the Conseil d’État in June 2026.
How many days can I let my main residence in the Basque Country?
The cap is 120 days a year for a main residence. The law allows it to be lowered to 90 days, but neither Saint-Jean-de-Luz nor Bidart has done so: their official pages and the Pays basque agglomeration regulation retain only the 120 days. A locally based concierge keeps track of these developments for you.
Are Anglet and Guéthary affected by compensation?
Yes, both are among the 24 towns of the Communauté d’agglomération Pays basque where compensation is mandatory, alongside Bayonne, Biarritz, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye.
Can a concierge manage my villa all year round?
Yes, the long season on the Basque coast lends itself to it, with activity from spring to autumn and winter demand driven by thalassotherapy and weekends. The concierge can also look after the property between stays.
Is the introduction chargeable?
No, it is free and with no obligation for the owner. You remain free to follow up and negotiate the contract directly with the concierge introduced to you.