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With hundreds of houses or apartments abandoned for several years, the Lot sub-prefecture has a vacant housing rate of more than 14%, well above the national and departmental average. The town of Figeac, which is experiencing significant housing needs, has decided to reclaim unoccupied housing by helping owners find solutions to offer a second life to their property.
In the streets of Figeac, restored facades coexist with buildings with closed shutters, closed for years, sometimes even decades. The Lot sub-prefecture is not immune to the continuous increase, observed for almost 20 years, in vacant housing. More than 3 million homes are affected in France. “Demographically declining” areas are particularly affected. “This is a general trend that we see at the national level. Housing vacancy is high in the central municipalities. In Figeac, we wanted to carry out a new study led by Sophie Chevalier, Action Cœur de ville project manager. Today we have fairly precise results on the situation in the city based on three sources: INSEE figures, the mortgage file and LOVAC land data. As we have a problem with housing supply, we will try to encourage owners to act” explains Bernard Landes, first deputy mayor of Figeac.
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More than 14% of vacant housing: the city is well above the average
With more than 14% of vacant housing counted, Figeac is well above the national average at 8.2%, and even exceeds the departmental average at 9.1%. “It is necessary to distinguish between housing units that have been vacant for less than two years and which are currently under construction or awaiting rental: this represents a little more than 9% of so-called vacant housing units in Figeac, i.e. 585 housing units. And long-term vacant housing units, we have around 300 in the city, or 5% of the stock. These are generally owners who do not want to or cannot financially carry out work and rent out their accommodation” explains the elected official from Figeac.
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DDM – archives.
A first information campaign by sending letters was carried out a few years ago but less than a third of the people contacted responded. With the launch of a new system entitled “Zero Vacant Housing”, the town hall wishes to relaunch owners and help them rehabilitate their unoccupied accommodation. “We want to carry out a targeted campaign by addressing firstly all those who pay the tax on vacant housing. Above all, we want to inform them that tools and assistance are at their disposal. We are trying to find solutions for them. “It is above all not a sanction but an incentive” insists Bernard Landes who highlights the challenge of this approach to “reconquer housing” and strengthen the attractiveness of the city. The community also wants to set an example. She is currently working on two strategic projects currently being studied with the Séguier block in the city center and a house placed under danger order on Boulevard du Colonel Teulié.
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