« No budget would be catastrophic for the construction sector! “. This is the warning from the president of the French Building Federation (FFB), Olivier Salleron, addressed to the deputies, to The Tribune. The latter must vote, this Wednesday, December 4, on the motion of censure resulting from the government's commitment to responsibility for the Social Security budget. The adoption of this measure – very likely at this time – could overthrow the government and delay, or even cancel, the adoption of the 2025 finance bill (PLF).
Motion of censure: a political crisis with an unpredictable outcome
A worst-case scenario for real estate players. “ We will certainly then have to refer to the 2024 budget. However, this did not have any support measures for the new, nor for the old », explains to The Tribunethe president of the real estate federation (Fnaim), Loïc Cantin. This political pile-up comes at a time when building professionals are warning of a sectoral crisis in construction and real estate. In total, 150,000 direct jobs and 20,000 businesses are threatened.
Aid and standards under discussion
Measures to stimulate purchasing…
Among the most important measures, real estate players mention the amendment from Senator Jean-François Husson. It aims to exempt from transfer taxes intra-family donations of money, up to 100,000 euros, when they are intended for the purchase of a main residence.
Even more important for representatives of the sector: a series of amendments from senators opening the zero-rate loan (PTZ) to the entire territory and to new individual homes. The device is so far reserved for new apartments in tense areas.
Measurements “very useful for young households who are currently unable to become owners” and which could well help to revive real estate purchases, notes Olivier Salleron of the FFB.
MPs want to integrate old housing into the PTZ
…and the construction of new housing
Still on new housing, “ this is the first time in many years that the government has included measures in a budget likely to stop the fall in construction », greets the representative of the building federation.
Senator Jean-Baptiste Olivier notably tabled an amendment postponing the end of the Pinel system from December 31 to March 30, 2025. As a reminder, this investment system allows the purchaser of a new home to benefit from a reduction of his income tax from 9% to 14% of the acquisition price, if he agrees to rent it for 6 years, 9 years or 12 years, at a price lower than the market price and to people whose reference tax income does not exceed certain ceilings. However, the cessation of this aid worries real estate professionals, because “ it concerns 30,000 to 50,000 housing units per year which could therefore not see the light of day in the coming years », notes Olivier Salleron.
As part of the budgetary discussions, on November 20, Michel Barnier announced “ support a bill » tabled by senators Guislain Cambier and Jean-Baptiste Blanc, aiming to relax Zero Net Artificialization (ZAN). More precisely, elected officials wish to repeal the objective set for 2031 of halving construction on natural and agricultural areas compared to the previous decade. A relaxation which would maintain the 2050 objective of zero net artificialization, but “ which would allow housing to be built next to factory projects, which is very important », insists Olivier Salleron of the FFB. Measure – also – threatened by an overthrow of the current government and the upcoming legislative break.
Before the mayors, the executive commits to making the ZAN more flexible
Boost energy renovation
Who says real estate, also says energy renovation. On this thorny subject, many professionals have welcomed the welcome simplification measures. “ We are particularly satisfied with the simplification of Ma Prime Rénov' in the budget, which gives it greater flexibility », Recognizes Olivier Salleron.
A counter-intuitive point of view, since this subsidy for households carrying out energy renovation work was cut by one billion euros in the 2025 PLF. The funds allocated should be 2.3 billion euros compared to more than 3 billion in 2024. But behind this step backward, on paper, “ what should be noted is that the government wants to reverse the complexity that its predecessor had added and which caused the number of requests to drop this year », Points out the president of the FFB.
As of January 1, 2024, the conditions for obtaining this aid had been modified. The ambition: to allow more large-scale renovations, including several works. A measure so restrictive for owners that many of them have given up on it. As a result, the 2024 envelope has not been entirely consumed. Finally, the executive returned to these conditions in May and wanted to perpetuate the reopening of the envelope to more projects in 2025 according to the FFB… provided that the budget is voted on.
Finally, the risk of an absence of a 2025 budget makes owners of thermal strainers fear the worst. “ Parliamentarians were to debate at the end of the week a revision of planned indecency allowing this status to be postponed to the tacit reproduction of the contract », notes Loïc Cantin. In other words, in the event of non-vote on the PLF, the owner-landlords of the 600,000 French housing units categorized in G could be taken to court by their tenants, from January 1. Lessors may then be ordered to carry out emergency energy renovation work and have their rents suspended while the work is carried out.
DPE: prohibiting rental of E, F, G housing divides deputies
Always hope
However, all these measures have not (yet) been thrown out the window. “ The hypothesis of the renewal of the 2024 budget has not been confirmed to date, the rapid appointment of a new government which would take over the PLF currently being discussed in the Senate remains, it seems, a possibility », Hopes the Federation of Real Estate Developers (FPI). The FFB for its part even hopes to obtain “ an alternative to Pinel ».
But whether it is more or less advantageous for real estate, “ the important thing is that a Prime Minister is quickly appointed, because we cannot live in chaos », Says Loïc Cantin of Fnaim.
« The deleterious political climate obviously impacts business activity and household morale », warns, for its part, the FPI.
