The new Minister Delegate for Housing, Patrice Vergriete, clarified on Friday the outlines of his policy, which he wants to be more decentralized and which assumes the end of several construction aids.
For his first public conference since he took over from Olivier Klein in July, Patrice Vergriete encountered a salvo of complaints from personalities in the housing world during a Bunus round table (Pyrnes-Atlantiques).
He assumed the abolition of the Pinel tax loophole program and the refocusing of the zero rate loan, which construction professionals or social housing players have strongly criticized.
I am not looking for the magic measure, the tinkering, the thing that will cause us to artificially relaunch a production which must ask itself new questions, he said.
The Basque Country, in the throes of a housing crisis where secondary residences and Airbnb-type tourist accommodation are being singled out, should soon obtain authorization to apply rent control, he promised.
He also said that he was personally in favor of local elected officials being able to apply it or not without asking the State for authorization, as is currently the case.
On the other hand, the reform of the tax on tourist accommodation, demanded insistently by elected officials of all stripes who accuse them of preventing locals from finding accommodation, will undoubtedly take a little time, he tempered.
Finally, on energy renovation, a colossal project essential to meet France’s climate commitments, Patrice Vergriete wants to consolidate operations, judging that house-by-house, building-by-building operations probably do not make it possible to structure a sector.
In places, it will be necessary to demolish and rebuild, he judged, despite the ecological and heritage cost of the demolitions.
There is also construction in France that is not compatible with energy renovation. And I think that we must also raise the awareness of the ABF, the Architects of the buildings of France, sometimes accused of blocking construction sites in the name of the defense of the architectural heritage.