to get wealthy households out, Guillaume Kasbarian presents his plan

HOUSING – Details. A few weeks after revealing that he wanted to get the wealthiest households out of social housing, Minister Guillaume Kasbarian detailed in The Parisian this Thursday, May 2, on the eve of the presentation of the text in the Council of Ministers, how he planned to do it.

The minister already recalls that “8% of current tenants in social housing are above the income ceiling set to enter it”. This is problematic when more than two million low-income households are waiting for housing, according to figures from the Social Union for Housing in 2023.

Today, households earning income above the fixed ceiling must pay an additional rent. But only when their resources exceed this ceiling by 20%. Guillaume Kasbarian wants to put an end to this tolerance and apply the additional rent “from the first euro of excess”.

He adds that “if the ceiling is exceeded by 20% for two years in a row, the lessor will terminate the lease automatically. There will, however, be a notice period of eighteen months for tenants to organize themselves.. On the other hand, “the termination of the lease will not apply to elderly people [de plus de 65 ans, NDLR] or disabled, like today.”

Take into account the tenants’ assets

Concretely, a couple with two children living in Paris “pays today an extra rent from 6,700 euros net monthly income (before tax) and can theoretically stay in their social housing up to 10,900 euros net monthly income”details the minister in the daily.

With its reform, the household “will pay an additional rent from 5,700 euros of income and his lease will be terminated if it exceeds 8,700 euros net per month for more than two years”, he adds. Evicting the wealthiest French people from these low-rent housing is “a question of social justice”, he believes.

Guillaume Kasbarian also announces that the assets of households in social housing will be taken into account in the assessment of resources if his text is adopted. “If you have become the owner of an equivalent property, which meets your needs, you are not intended to stay in social housing”, he explains. It remains to be seen what a “equivalent property”. The concept will be the subject of a decree.

More generally, the government’s housing plan intends to act on four levers, says the ministry: “ offer new tools to mayors to build, simplify administrative procedures to build faster, free up investment in affordable housing, facilitate access to housing for the French”.

But the first version of the bill sparked an outcry, particularly its provisions concerning social housing. The National Housing Council (CNH), bringing together the many players in the world of housing (professional associations, social landlords, elected officials, tenant associations, etc.), mainly voted against, a vote which only ‘advisory value. While the five main HLM tenant associations immediately criticized “a bill that hunts down the poor”.

Also see on HuffPost :