Gabriel Attal assured on franceinfo, Thursday, September 15, that the tariff shield which will make it possible to cap the rise in gas and electricity prices at 15% in 2023 will remain in place “as long as the situation is what it is. “. But Emmanuelle Cosse, president of the Social Union for Housing, denounced the absence of tariff shields for social landlords in terms of electricity.
>> Extended tariff shield, new energy check, aid to businesses… What to remember from the government’s announcements in the face of the energy crisis
“These are considerable and even unsustainable increases” for the tenants of the Office HLM, alert this Thursday on franceinfo David Rousset, secretary general of the Association Force Ouvrière Consumateurs (AFOC). David Rousset evokes the example of the Office HLM of La Rochelle: “Last year, the price per kilowatt hour billed was 6.44 euros, the tariff proposal that is made for the following year is 88 euros”, he says. Electricity consumption would increase from “7,500 euros last year” at “95,000 euros fully paid by the tenants”.
franceinfo: Are HLMs the big omissions from these measures?
David Rousset: Already, we are seeing increases in electricity in common areas, and therefore in rental charges. In the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, for the moment, the new tariffs offered by electricity suppliers translate into an increase of 10 to 60 euros per month for the 33,000 tenants of the Office HLM de Seine -St Denis. It’s nothing compared to La Rochelle. Last year, the price per kilowatt hour billed was 6.44 euros, the tariff proposal made for the following year is 88 euros. That is to say that, very concretely, the consumption of the organization was 7,500 euros last year, this would increase to 95,000 euros, fully paid by the tenants. Beyond the numbers and percentages, at some point you have to go back to euros and realize that these are considerable and even unsustainable increases.
Are some electricity suppliers not taking advantage of the situation?
No, these are market rules. The contract was signed two or three years ago. HLM organizations are not considered as individuals so they do not benefit from regulated tariffs, that is to say at fixed prices like individuals. These contracts are signed for one, two or three years and when they arrive during renegotiation, they are negotiated on the basis of market prices and everyone knows that today the price of the kilowatt hour is soaring.
Should the tariff shield be applied to HLMs?
Indeed, the solution in this case is that HLM organizations benefit from the same measures as for individuals, that is to say taking into account their social dimension, access to regulated prices is therefore in l occurrence of a price shield that the public authorities have announced as a 15% increase “only” for next year. It is already a lot. This would be a solution, but there is some confusion that reigns since Elisabeth Borne said yesterday that normally, this 15% cap will concern condominiums and social housing, but it did not seem so obvious. There is a kind of artistic vagueness that reigns and the government would be well advised to reassure everyone.
Are the finances of HLM organizations threatened?
They are potentially, but ultimately, not so much. There is no risk of seeing an organization go into default or go out of business. I wouldn’t say the same for HLM tenants. For them, beyond these increases in charges, there is a real problem that is starting to rise with the rent increases. Unlike the private sector, in the HLM sector, rent increases are voted on in January and will apply next year. Today, HLM organizations must set an example by making a simple decision by freezing rents in 2023 at the height of what they are today. Because otherwise, the increase that would be applied would represent several hundred euros per month. It is also a matter of consistency. You cannot ask the public authorities to benefit from aid, price caps and increase the prices of tenants yourself. There is no point in capping the increase in charges and leaving a substantial increase in rents.