A particularly tense real estate market where slumlords do not hesitate to act: the attraction of the Grand Duchy makes the Franco-Luxembourg border vulnerable to substandard housing, note the elected representatives of the sector, who want to put in place actions to ‘contain.
People housed in cellars, in small apartments without heating or ventilation: mayors are often the first to be called to face unworthy housing situations, especially in areas in tension.
Historically, in the East, the problem was mainly around the urban areas: Metz and Forbach mainly in Moselle, “but the north of the department, on the Franco-Luxembourg border, is now a problem because it is developing there“, explains the deputy director of the Departmental Directorate of Territories (DDT) of Moselle, Gautier Guérin.
Real estate pressure is very strong in Luxembourg, where prices rise to 8,000 euros per square meter on average, with more than 10,000 euros per m2 in the center of the country, according to a specialized website. Prices similar to certain districts of Paris.
And the requests are pouring in… The presence of sleep merchants, whose activity can be very lucrative, is therefore never far away.
“For the moment, we are having discussions on major land use planning issues with Luxembourg, on housing needs in the broad sense. This problem of substandard housing is part of the discussions” but is not yet thorough enough, according to Mr. Guérin.
“Consistent increase in reports”
The DDT notes a “constant increase in reports”: there were 600 in 2023, a figure “up 32% compared to 2022”, according to management. Some 800 reports are expected for 2024.
More than half of the reports are resolved within the year “without the need to go as far as coercive procedures”, notes the DDT.
But only “10 to 15 legal proceedings” arrive in the courts each year, according to François Pérain, attorney general at the Metz Court of Appeal. “We do not have the capacity for the 500 reports to be brought to justice“, he warns straight away, but “you should still increase the volume a little“.
“Slum sellers, who sell uninhabitable housing at high prices,”are intended to be brought before the criminal court and to be punished“, explains Mr. Pérain.
Especially since justice is the only one that can confiscate these assets, argues the magistrate. “In my opinion, that is still particularly dissuasive.” An agreement was signed between the public prosecutor’s office and state services to improve the reporting of information on these slumlords.
In Moselle, the authorities estimate the number of unworthy housing units at 13,000, which could represent around 30,000 inhabitants.
Rental license
Faced with this observation, several communities of municipalities have implemented “rental permits” in certain streets.
Owners, before (re)renting a property, must request authorization, by sending supporting documents to the administration and scheduling a visit to check the condition of the accommodation.
More rarely, certain municipalities set up a simple declaration system.
The agglomeration community of Val de Fensch, where nearly 4% of substandard housing could be rented, has tested the rental permit since 2021 and has made it permanent in 2023, in seven municipalities out of the ten that make up the community.
Over the past three years, there have been 250 housing visits, and 12 rental refusals, explains Alexandra Rebstock-Pinna, vice-president responsible for the issue. Around sixty others received authorization with work recommendations.
For the chosen one, this “will help improve the overall heritage“, and the owners have overall “well received the device“.
This tool “seems quite impactful and quite educational at the same time“, observes Mr. Guérin.
Four border municipalities of the Pays-Haut-Val d’Alzette community of municipalities, including Villerupt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) or Audin-le-Tiche (Moselle) have also adopted it and will put it in place from January 15 . The rate of potentially unworthy housing in this community of municipalities is estimated at 6%.
Owners who resist the system face fines.
