Pressure on landlords has increased since the city of Paris has the power to sanction and impose fines for abusive rents. Since January 1, 2023, there have been 1,181 reports from tenants on the Paris city hall platform, 183 warnings issued, and 20 fines imposed. According to this eight-month assessment, “43 tenants have been reimbursed for overcharging,” announced Ian Brossat, Deputy in charge of Housing and Communist senator for Paris, on France Bleu Paris. “In total, nearly 100,000 euros have been returned to abused tenants.”
However, Ian Brossat believes that there are still “too few tenants” who dare to take action. They “self-censor” out of fear of being in a bad position with their landlord. Ian Brossat wants to reassure and encourage abused tenants to report their landlords on this online platform, “the city hall takes care of sending warnings and ensuring reimbursements.”
“All reports will be processed,” assures Ian Brossat, “but it takes time, there are landlords who defend themselves in court, but all cases will be addressed, and if there is no reimbursement, there will be fines.” “We have just imposed a maximum fine of 5,000 euros.” Up to 5,000 euros is the maximum fine for an individual, and 15,000 euros for a legal entity.
Developing affordable housing
Is rent control really effective in lowering prices? “In 2019, rents skyrocketed in Paris, and since then there has been a relative stability in rent levels, so rent control has been useful, but there are still abuses in small spaces, studios, and two-room apartments. There is a need for special vigilance.”
Housing is a “social bomb,” says the president of the Association of Mayors of France. Ian Brossat shares this observation and believes that there are two solutions: “The first is to regulate rents, and the second is to develop affordable housing.” The city of Paris aims to have 40% “public housing” by 2035.
Paris also targets students who are increasingly struggling to find accommodation: “In Paris, we develop 1,000 new student accommodations every year. If there were massive development of Crous housing throughout the region, we would not be in this situation. For example, in the 92 department, we have very few student accommodations.”
Ian Brossat also promises to pursue this fight in the Senate, where he has just been elected. His first battle will be “the regulation of tourist rentals, such as Airbnb, especially with the Olympics, it should not develop at the expense of our residents.”
