rental properties are becoming scarce in many cities in France

In Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), about twenty students, like Mounir Chabbi, live and revise in a youth hostel, because they have not found an apartment to rent. “It’s the only place where I could find a table and chairs to revise”, he said. The managers of the hostel note that the rental market is particularly tense, at the start of the 2022 school year. Rentals are less and less numerous in several cities in France, such as in the Lyon region.

In a building in Villeurbanne (Rhône), the visits are linked. With 41 m² and 607 euros of rent, charges included, the candidates parade. Among them, Anna Moreno, an employee of a crèche, has been looking for an apartment for several weeks. This is the first visit she gets. There are far fewer rental ads on agent windows than usual at this time of year. According to professionals, the new standards in terms of energy performance require sometimes costly work, which would discourage owners.