{"id":21872,"date":"2026-08-11T15:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T19:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/blog\/?p=21872"},"modified":"2026-08-11T15:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T19:00:07","slug":"pied-a-terre-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/blog\/pied-a-terre-tax\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Know About the New Pied-\u00e0-Terre Tax"},"content":{"rendered":"
One of the campaign promises from Zohran Mamdani when he was running for Mayor in 2025 was that the rich would pay their fair share. On July 23rd, the first step towards fulfilling this measure was put into place. Property owners who may be subject to the \u201cpied-\u00e0-terre\u201d, or in layman’s terms \u201cSecond Home\u201d tax have been notified.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In this post, let\u2019s look at the history of \u201cpied-\u00e0-terre\u201d taxes. What does this mean for New Yorkers? What are the logistics of this tax? Who really is affected by this, and how sustainable is this long-term?<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s first define what pied-\u00e0-terre is. The term pied-\u00e0-terre is French for foot\/feet on the ground. When it comes to how it applies to this tax, it is quite literally referring to a place of residence, usually located in metropolitan areas, and not used as an individual\u2019s main living residence. For those wealthy enough to own more than one property, this causes a problem when it comes to housing supply.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Legislation began to be discussed in the 2010s in Paris and New York, when taxes were starting to be discussed. In 2019, the first proposed bill that would have placed a recurring tax on luxury pieds-\u00e0-terre was blocked by real estate developers and lobbyists looking to protect them.<\/span><\/p>\n On Tax Day this year (April 15th, 2026), the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, and New York Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, proposed a new version of the tax. The tax would apply to second homes valued at over $5 million. On May 27th, 2026, the New York State Legislature approved the tax. It took effect on July 1st, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n With the term pied-\u00e0-terre being French, there is a prime example of the French government implementing rules to focus on the housing supply crisis that faced their residents. They had small apartments that were roughly 8 square meters, or for our American readers, 86 square feet. Not a lot of room, but they were sold or rented to people who needed them for work or for study rooms. In 2010, the French government instituted a rule that any French city with more than 200,000 inhabitants would require a minimum one-year lease on apartments. This is one way they have combated short-term rentals that would not be used.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While the French and Americans have higher-profile stories when it comes to pied-\u00e0-terre, the Netherlands have their own version. In Amsterdam, they define pied-\u00e0-terre based on a certain rental value. Additionally, they have the rule that if an owner of the house has their children living there, then every child needs to be registered within that municipality. It is common that many public figures in Amsterdam have their pied-\u00e0-terre in Amsterdam and live in other places.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the big talking points of the pied-\u00e0-terre tax is the revenue that would be brought in. The Governor and the Mayor estimate $500 million from roughly 13,000 homes that fall under the term pied-\u00e0-terre. These are the homes that have a market value of at least $5 million.<\/span><\/p>\nExamples of Pied-\u00e0-Terre Historically<\/span><\/h2>\n
French Example<\/span><\/h2>\n
Netherlands Example<\/span><\/h2>\n
Benefits of the Pied-\u00e0-Terre tax<\/span><\/h2>\n
Logistics of the tax<\/span><\/h2>\n