Among the emblematic points of this reform is the tightening of the rules for tenants of social housing whose income exceeds the ceilings. A measure criticized by the left and social landlords.
A few months after the appointment to Matignon of Gabriel Attal, who made housing one of the “priorities” of his government, the bill “relating to the development of the supply of affordable housing” is presented on Friday May 3 to the Council of Ministers. The text, supported by the Minister for Housing, Guillaume Kasbarian, aims to provide the first responses to the crisis facing the sector, with an in-depth reform of social housing, where 10 million people live in France.
The text, consulted by franceinfo, plans in particular to integrate intermediate housing into the calculation of social housing quotas for municipalities and to tighten the rules for the wealthiest tenants. Measures denounced by the left and the main associations of social housing tenants, who discuss “a bill that hunts the poor”. Franceinfo summarizes the main measures of this text for you.
Integrate intermediate housing into the SRU law on social housing
The first of the fourteen articles of the bill is devoted to the solidarity and urban renewal law, known as the SRU law, which since 2000 has imposed on municipalities in urban areas a quota of 20 to 25% of social housing. As promised by Gabriel Attal during his general policy speech on January 30, the government wants to include intermediate housing in the calculation of this quota, which remains in force. As a reminder, social housing is conditional on certain resources and its rent cannot exceed a certain amount per square meter. There are two main categories. On the one hand, the PLAI, for people in very precarious circumstances, and the PLUS, which we also call HLM. On the other, PLS and PLI (or “intermediate housing”), intended for households who earn too much to qualify for HLM, but not enough to find private housing.
While municipalities currently lag behind in the production of HLM housing – the objectives are defined every three years – can be punished by fines, the text authorizes so-called “deficient” municipalities to “achieve up to a quarter of their three-year catch-up objective by creating intermediate rental housing”. This new rule would only concern municipalities less than ten points behind their social housing objective. As of January 1, 2022, 1,163 municipalities did not comply with their obligations out of the 2,157 subject to the SRU law.
Give more power to mayors, particularly to allocate new social housing
The reform must also give more latitude to the mayors of cities respecting the SRU law in the allocation of social housing, while the number of households waiting has reached 2.6 million in 2023. The text thus provides “that the mayor has, for the first attributions, the power to classify the different candidates proposed”. The councilor could also have a right of veto.
For the five main associations of social housing tenants (Afoc, CGL, CLCV, CNL, CSF), this proposal to strengthen the prerogatives of mayors “opens the door to the worst abuses”. They mention, in a press release, risks of “electoral patronage, favoritism according to political opinions, even national preference in certain municipalities”.
The government also wishes to give “new tools” to mayors, in particular “to control land and regulate land inflation”. For example, it intends to extend their right of pre-emption under certain conditions (excessive price, specific sector, etc.) and with the obligation to return the land or building to housing stakeholders within five years.
Tighten the rules for tenants whose income exceeds the ceilings
The other flagship measure of this bill aims to toughen the rules for certain HLM tenants. The government intends to lower the thresholds above which tenants must pay additional rent. While households currently benefit from a margin of 20% compared to the ceilings corresponding to their category of social housing, the text wants to eliminate this margin and apply an additional rent as soon as their resources exceed the ceilings, from the first euro additional. This could concern “131,000 additional households”estimates the Ministry of Labor.
“And if the ceiling is exceeded by 20% for two years in a row, the lessor will terminate the lease automatically [avec un délai de prévenance de 18 mois]“announced the Minister of Housing, Guillaume Kasbarian, in an interview with Parisian published Thursday evening. People living in a rural revitalization zone (ZRR) or in an area classified as a priority district of city policy (QPV), who were not affected by this additional rent, will always be exempt.
The executive also wants to lower the resource threshold above which the wealthiest tenants will be evicted. Tenants who exceed the ceilings by 20% will therefore be evicted after a period of eighteen months, whereas the threshold is currently set at 50%. This measure is widely denounced by social landlords and left-wing elected officials.
Social landlords could also end the lease of tenants who are owners of housing that meets their needs or that can provide them with income allowing them to find private accommodation. The government does not have the number of households potentially affected. This will not concern in any case people over 65 years old or with disabilities, nor those living in QPVs.
Build more, and faster
One of the objectives of this text is to “produce more”. The bill follows on from the announcements of Gabriel Attal, who had promised at the end of January A “supply shock”. In particular, he wants “reduce appeal deadlines” of two thirds for applications for urban planning authorization and building permits, or even encourage residential densification by relaxing the rules linked to the constructability of subdivisions. The transformation of commercial zones into housing is also among the objectives of the text.
To build more, the government wants “facilitate the construction, acquisition, improvement and direct management of intermediate rental housing by social landlords”. Objective: dforget the intermediate housing production capacities of these organizations. The government also wants to allow social landlords “to revise rents upon re-letting” but also of “diversify their resources by investing in real estate co-development activities or commercial activities.” Finally, the government plans to improve and facilitate access to social housing for workers in areas in high tension.