Yanis Darras
modified to
9:16 a.m., March 7, 2024
Guillaume Kasbarian, Minister Delegate for Housing, was the guest of La Grande interview Europe 1-CNews. At Sonia Mabrouk’s microphone, he returned to the application of the anti-squat law, passed last summer. “It’s a law that I accept, that I demand,” he explains, despite criticism from part of the opposition.
This is the other fear of owners, alongside burglaries: finding their home squatted after a day of work or a weekend. Since last summer, Parliament has passed a new law, more severe against squatters. From now on, breaking into and/or illegally occupying accommodation can be punished by 3 years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. Before last summer, the penalties were only one year’s imprisonment and a fine of 15,000 euros.
Questioned this Thursday morning on the set of La Grande interview, the Minister Delegate in charge of Housing Guillaume Kasbarian said “accept this law. It is a law that I demand”. “This law made it possible to strengthen the sanctions against squatters and to strengthen a procedure for evicting squatters. From now on, if you return home and you have a squatter, you can file a complaint, contact the prefect. 48 hours later, the prefect has an obligation to respond to you. He can only refuse to help you if it is not really a squat case. And 24 hours later, he uses the police to get out the squatters. And it works, winter and summer,” he explains to Sonia Mabrouk’s microphone.
Also fight against slumlords
“Today, we have feedback from the field which informs us that yes, the law works and makes it possible to eradicate many cases of squatting, which was the objective of this law”, he continues, while ensuring that he will continue his action despite “reproaches”. “This law was adopted by a very large majority of parliamentarians. It is already something at the democratic level. And then I am convinced that the French themselves are severe towards squatters. Squat, “it’s something that affects your home, your privacy, your family. And so no one can understand that we remain powerless in the face of squatting,” he judges.
Finally, the Minister Delegate in charge of Housing assures that he wants to fight against another phenomenon of delinquency: slumlords. “There (will be) no tolerance for this type of delinquency, which undermines co-ownerships and the tenants who are victims of it.”