The government wants tenants who are too rich to leave their social housing

On the way to the great redistribution? The government intends to encourage tenants who have “significantly exceeded the income ceiling” to leave social housing, Housing Minister Guillaume Kasbarian said in an interview with Les Échos newspaper on Thursday. “When we have 5.2 million social housing units in France and 1.8 million households who legally apply to move into it, is it normal that they are not allowed to do so when there are people in social housing whose situation has changed significantly since they were given rights to enter social housing? Frame? “, asks the minister in the columns of the economic daily newspaper.

According to Les Échos, Guillaume Kasbarian has confirmed that more than 8% of HLM tenants will no longer be eligible for social housing if they apply for it today. “We must reconsider the relevance of continuing to occupy social housing for those who have largely exceeded the income ceiling, have been able to inherit, sometimes own a second home and whose assets – and this is the meaning of life – have developed,” continues the minister.

It intends to require social landlords to regularly and compulsorily assess the “personal, financial and property situation” of social housing tenants. “This will allow us to question the lease renewal in the first place. And then question the level of rent,” adds Guillaume Kasbaryan, without going into details.

More powers for mayors when distributing housing

Currently, HLM tenants are required to participate in a “resource survey” annually to confirm their economic status. If they are above a certain income ceiling, their landlord may increase their rent, and if they report an even higher income, their landlord may, in some cases, refuse to renew their lease.

These provisions are to be included in the bill, intended as a broader text aimed at developing housing for the middle class, and presented to the Council of Ministers in May for consideration in the Senate in June. The text should also give mayors more power in the allocation of social housing or in deciding on its sale, Guillaume Kasbarian detailed.

The minister also committed to maintaining a “target of 20-25% social housing” in municipalities covered by the SRU (Solidarity and Urban Renewal) law, the upcoming reform of which has raised many concerns.