The government intends to encourage the exit from social housing of tenants who have “well exceeded the income ceilings”, announced Thursday Guillaume Kasbarian, the Minister for Housing, in an interview with the newspaper Les Echos.
When we have 5.2 million social housing units in France and 1.8 million households who legitimately apply to enter it, is it normal that they are prevented from doing so when there are people within the social housing system whose has the situation changed significantly since they were allocated their accommodation?, asks the minister in the columns of the economic daily.
According to Les Echos, Guillaume Kasbarian affirmed that more than 8% of HLM tenants would no longer be eligible for social housing if they applied for one today.
We must re-examine the relevance of continuing to occupy social housing for those who have largely exceeded the income ceilings, have been able to inherit, sometimes have a second home in their possession, and whose assets – and this is the meaning of life – have evolved, continues the minister.
It intends to require from social landlords a regular and obligatory assessment of the personal, financial and property situation of social housing tenants.
This will first allow you to query the renewal of the lease. And then to question the level of rents, adds Mr. Kasbarian, without giving further details.
Currently, HLM tenants must respond annually to a resources survey to attest to their economic situation.
If they exceed a certain income ceiling, their lessor can increase their rent, and if they report even higher income, their lessor can in certain cases refuse to renew their lease.
These provisions should be integrated into a bill intended as a broader text to promote housing for the middle classes and presented to the Council of Ministers in May, for examination in the Senate in June.
The text must also give more power to mayors in the allocation of social housing or in the decision to sell it, detailed Guillaume Kasbarian.
The minister also committed to maintaining the target objectives of 20 to 25% of social housing in the municipalities concerned by the SRU law (Solidarity and urban renewal), the upcoming reform of which has given rise to many concerns.
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