More than 5,000 euros in aid promised
Its dematerialized MaPrimeRénov’ file is put together according to the rules of the art: tax notice, estimate, invoice for the work… Everything is there. On the sheet, the help must quickly reduce his bill by €5,000 after a simulation. A significant sum for this retiree with modest income. Since then, nothing. Her life now draws the contours of “a daily hell”, she illustrates, helplessly.
I’m in debt, I only eat pasta and rice
“When I am asked to submit an additional document on the platform, it does not work. The telephone advisors do not answer or are never the same. I’m about to break down. » For several months, Caroline Bonnin has been over-indebted. “I only eat pasta and rice. I can’t even take my grandchildren to the sea anymore. It’s eating me up inside. »
Tenacious, the retiree then threw several bottles into the sea. “First with France Services. They helped me get in touch with the ANAH (the National Housing Agency which coordinates this aid, Editor’s note). On the other end of the line, I was assured that the aid would be paid very soon. They even gave me the name of my bank, proof that they had my file in front of them. They told me it was accepted. » But never in a written way. She then knocked on the door of René Pilato, deputy for the first constituency of Charente. “But in the meantime, I received a letter telling me that the aid was being withdrawn from me. Without explanation. » She then appealed. It is accepted.
An obstacle course
“But now I was asked for new papers! » Faced with a wall again, she found an ear in Françoise Marie, delegate of the Defender of Rights, in Charente. On the table of the rights defender, around 15% of the Charente files concern difficulties linked to MaPrimeRénov’. “It’s the complexity of the system that poses a problem,” assures Françoise Marie. “It evolves regularly. Initially reserved for the most modest incomes, its scope then broadened. It is peppered with tiny subtleties. Sources of regular refusals of files. »
But then why so many difficulties for a subsidy presented as “simplified”? Caroline Bonnin is not an isolated case. “An invoice number that does not correspond, an imprecise date, a mention on an invoice…” The delegate illustrates with a recent example. “I have a lady who submitted her application after starting the work. The project must be declared before. It will be complicated to submit your file. » Another resident of Valencia also testifies to her fight, which has just been won. “I opted for pellet heating, to replace oil heating. The bonus finally arrived at the end of April 2024 even though the work dated from 2022.”
The Charente delegate, however, gives a glimpse of a light at the end of the tunnel. “The ANAH has made efforts. Since January, she has committed to responding to us systematically. Which she didn’t do before. The files are being finalized, I have good hope for Caroline Bonnin. This is an invoice detail. In terms of form, there still remains a great lack of information. If there was more education, everything would be better. Having silence in front of you, when you are in debt, is very difficult,” laments Françoise Marie.
Identity theft
Hervé Servat, director of DDT Charente (Departmental Directorate of Territories) and the local ANAH delegation, tempers the feeling of scolding. “In three years, 15,000 owners have been helped in Charente. Overall, we are talking about 5% of files over 6 months old. I am not undermining. It is true that dozens of files are pending. I am aware of the difficulty some households face. »
The France Rénov space is a gateway to questions related to renovation. In Charente, GrandAngoulême habitat and GrandCognacRénov’ represent this public service in these two territories. In the rest of the department, it is the responsibility of CAUE (Architectural Urban Planning and Environment Council). “When you set out alone, there is a good chance of never achieving your goals,” recognizes advisor Michael Charruault. “There was a lot of identity theft and more extensive control procedures.” Other individuals fall through the cracks of scams. “By following fake companies. They have filed tax notices, etc. When they actually request assistance, an account already exists in their name. And there, it’s a cold shower,” he explains. In Charente, several files still remain unresolved. The ANAH promises to accelerate the pace.
A sharp slowdown in requests
Faced with the drop in requests in the first quarter of 2024, the government has announced numerous arrangements to relaunch the single actions financed by MaPrimeRénov’. Since May 15, it is no longer compulsory to install a heating or hot water production system to have access to the bonus. A stop removes until December 31, 2024 the obligation to provide a DPE to obtain financial assistance for these single actions.
On the building side, things are better!
Since the creation of the bonus in 2020, several agent companies have themselves put together aid files for their clients. They advance the amount of the premium, and some have never been reimbursed or very late. Today, David Léobet, general secretary at CAPEB Charente puts things into perspective. “It no longer has anything to do with past issues. There has been an increase in the skills of ANAH agents, but also of companies. You just had to know the system and master it. They necessarily remain five-legged sheep. Our companies ensure they receive payments on time.”
