This is bad news for tenants. Rent amounts are calculated on the basis of a rent index. And the latest value of this index, that of the 1st quarter of 2022 published in mid-April by INSEE, indicates a jump of 2.5%. Quite simply because it is based on the level of consumer prices over the last twelve months. And this level has not stopped increasing.
The increase in rents is not systematic. 2.5% is the maximum authorized increase. For example, for a rent of 600 euros per month, a landlord cannot increase by more than 15 euros. Lessors and owners can also make a gesture, and not pass on the increase or only pass on part of it. And then important detail: a landlord can only increase his rent once a year.
In some towns, rents are regulated to prevent excessive overruns. Since April 1, on rental advertisements, real estate agents but also individuals must indicate the rent at which the apartment or property is offered. But they must also indicate the rent which serves as a reference. This reference rent is set according to the city, the district, the type of property and this gives the tenant a comparison grid, an idea of the amount that the owner must not exceed.
But not all cities practice rent control. Today, it is in force in Paris, but also in the communities of communes Est Ensemble (Bagnolet, Bobigny, Bondy, Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Les Lilas, Montreuil, Noisy-le-Sec, Pantin and Romainville) and Plaine Commune (Aubervilliers, Épinay-sur-Seine, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Saint-Denis, Villetaneuse, Stains, L’Île-Saint-Denis, la Courneuve and Saint-Ouen), to the north and east of the capital city. It is also in Lyon and Villeurbanne, Lille, Hellemes and Lomme, and soon in Bordeaux and Montpellier.
In addition to the rent, there are other costs such as home insurance. It is mandatory and it has also increased a lot: by 11% in 2 years according to the online comparator Assurland.com. This is an average because there are regions where it has risen to 40%, such as in Occitania. Insurers explain this increase by the resurgence of burglaries and natural disasters.