Grenoble will be authorized to implement rent capping, as it has long demanded, the Ministry of Housing announced on Monday, an announcement welcomed by Mayor Eric Piolle.
The government announces the establishment of rent controls in the Grenoble metropolitan area. A decree opens up the possibility of controlling rents to control their rise and protect the purchasing power of tenant residents, indicates the minister in a press release.
For rent control to be effective, a prefectural decree setting the maximum rent level will be taken during the year 2024, continues the minister.
A prevention tool to fight against abuse
This is excellent news, said environmentalist mayor Eric Piolle, contacted by AFP. For us, it is a prevention tool, to fight against abuse, particularly for small areas and which will complement the other tools already put in place to preserve the purchasing power of residents, he said.
The rent cap, which prohibits, with exceptions, renting a property beyond a reference rent, is applied in Paris, Lille, Lyon, Villeurbanne, Montpellier, Bordeaux, and in the intermunicipalities of Seine-Saint-Denis Plaine Commune and East Together. It will soon be implemented in 24 municipalities in the French Basque Country, including Biarritz and Bayonne.
It is currently being applied as part of an experiment which must end in 2026, a possible prelude to its enactment in law.
The city of Grenoble had been demanding for several years to be able to apply it, which the government had previously refused, arguing that the real estate market there was not strong enough to justify it.
The current delegated minister, Patrice Vergriete, engaged in a project of decentralization of housing policy, said he was in favor of communities being able to freely decide to apply rent capping, without having to request authorization from the State. as is the case currently.
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