“We don't want it, we're not fed up, we won't pay“, chants a group alongside activists from the CLCV association (Consumption, housing and living environment). Several dozen tenants came to contest the 3.26% increase in rents in front of the Noisy-le-Sec Habitat headquarters on Monday evening, just before the meeting of its board of directors.
Up to 1,073 euros in charges to be regularized
“Some tenants have up to 1,073 euros in charges to pay for 2022, even though they have just come out of a staggering of charges to be paid for 2021. They will have those for 2023 which will arrive immediately. And now they want to raise rents,” denounces Nadia Kadi, one of the tenant representatives to the social landlord, who called on tenants to mobilize. “It is not so much the regularization of charges that we are contesting, but the serious inconsistencies in what we are asked to pay“, she emphasizes. “Why do tenants have to pay a TEOM [ndlr, la taxe d’enlèvement des ordures ménagères] higher, at 16.47%, than that of owners which is 10.05%? The heating bill increased by 45%, while nationally, it did not exceed 20%. And, this year, unlike the others, the calculation of charges was made on a corrected surface area basis even though it is clearly stipulated in our leases that they are calculated based on the habitable surface area.“, she explains.
Real increase of 2.5% over two years
Facing the tenants, Olivier Sarrabeyrouse, the mayor (PCF) of Noisy-le-Sec and president of the SAEM (mixed economy company) details the painful situation. “There are imperfections, we will fix it. But, in any case, there is an impact that you will have to suffer like all the tenants of all HLM offices, linked to the energy shock“, he explains, also pointing out the deterioration of social housing due to the absence of state aid. “There is an element of legitimacy in anger because it reflects a feeling of injustice and fed up with the charges, especially“, analyzes the councilor. “The rent increase of 3.26% is the same as other social landlords. I remind you that we did not apply the increase of 1.75% which was voted for 2023. So, over two years, the tenants of Noisy-le-Sec Habitat will, in fact, have to pay an increase of 2, 5%. As for the charges, errors were undoubtedly made on certain services which were not carried out, but the fact remains that our SAEM had to collect like all the other lessors the rise in the cost of energy“, he continues. “It's true that the charges are high, more everyone forgets the explosion of inflation in 2022 and 2023. Today, the regulations correspond to these years“, agrees Max Maniez, the general director of Noisy-le-Sec Habitat.
The tenants, for their part, do not take off. “Why did we have to wait until 2024 to receive the charges for 2022 and soon those for 2023? This is too hasty!“, denounces a tenant. “It's simple, we're being fooled“, summarizes Marc. “I won't be able to afford my children a Christmas, let alone a vacation this winter. I am currently unemployed. I have 625 euros in rent to pay, plus utilities, that's 900 euros. In total, it's 70% of what I receive as income. I also need to have internet, car insurance, etc. What do I do?“, relates this resident who notes that his rent has doubled since he moved to Noisy-le-Sec in 2006. “He charges me for a surface area of 120 square meters, even though I have 69 square meters of living space.. That’s 600 euros. He thinks we work where?, proclaims, for her part, Samia. “On top of that, we don't even have heating. It's November 4th anyway“, abound Fatiha and Nawel who live on Allée du Goulet on the 3rd and 4th floor.
The specter of the transfer to Est Ensemble
Despite the mobilization of tenants, the board of directors of Noisy-le-Sec Habitat voted the same evening to increase rents. Another decision validated: the sale of its assets to Est Ensemble Habitat on January 1, 2025. Which raises all the questions.
Read: Noisy-le-Sec sells its social housing stock to Est Ensemble Habitat
“They recognize errors and suggest we control the charges. Very good, but we have the feeling that Noisy-le-Sec Habitat wants to recover money at all costs because the transfer of the 2,100 housing units to Est Ensemble Habitat has been recorded and one of the conditions for this to happen to do is that all charges be discharged before January 1st. And we are being told of an increase in rents of 3.26%. This is unacceptable. Tenants are not cash cows“, criticizes Nadia Kadi. “It is not because there is a transfer that there is a control of charges over two years“, retorts the mayor for whom this transfer is necessary to improve the management of HLM in the municipality.
While waiting for the recalculation of charges, Nadia Kadi has already launched a new call for the mobilization of tenants during the municipal council which is being held this Thursday evening.
