Tighten the screw, without turning. Bercy has long wanted to re-examine the situation of social housing tenants, whose incomes have increased over the years to the point of exceeding the resource ceilings, which had given them the right to HLM housing. The Ministry of the Economy finally obtained from the Prime Minister the mandate to launch a reform. In the midst of a housing crisis, and while 5.6 million households live in public housing, the government intends to proceed cautiously.
“There is a subject on mobility within social housing, identified for several years, particularly problematic insofar as 2.4 million households find themselves waiting for social housing. We are going to move forward gradually, in consultationwe say in Bercy. It is a question of putting economic rationality back into the system and that those who earn more, contribute more. »
This is actually already the case. An additional rent is due by the tenant if his resources exceed the ceilings in force by 20%. If 8% of HLM tenants exceed the resource ceilings, only 3% are subject to this rent supplement. The principle is as follows: by paying a premium, they certainly do not free up housing for the benefit of other households who need it more, but they participate in the financing of social housing. Tenants whose income exceeds 150% of the ceilings must leave the premises – with exemptions, in particular for people aged 65 or over.
As for the rent supplement, it does not apply everywhere: neither in the priority districts of the city policy, in order to preserve as much as possible a social mix, nor in the rural revitalization zones (ZRR) nor when a community local authority decides to exempt a neighborhood from it, as part of its local housing plan (PLH). Another limit: the combined amount of rent and additional rent cannot exceed 30% of the tenant’s resources. Finally, nearly 40% of social housing is thus exempted.
End of certain exemptions
For Bercy, which has started the dialogue with the Ministry of Housing, there is room to gain in efficiency. Among the tracks on the table is the end of certain exemptions, in particular those of the rural revitalization zones or those in the hand of the communities, one indicates to the ministry of housing. The additional rent could also be triggered below the current threshold of 120%, and be increased if the ceiling has been exceeded for several years. Finally, for households close to the fateful bar before termination of the lease (resources exceeding 1.5 times the maximum income), combined rent and excess rent could approach the prices practiced in the private rental stock.
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