In its latest report on housing in the Ile-de-France region, the Cour des Comptes (French Audit Office) condemns a notorious abuse in the management of low-cost housing: the fact that tenants with incomes above the statutory ceilings are kept in their homes. In Paris, for example, it is possible to earn €100,000 a year and still remain in a HLM.
The work carried out between 2005 and 2012 by the magistrates of the Cour des Comptes (French Court of Audit) shows that social housing is not always built for the right people.
According to the Court, in 2011, 47% of the social housing stock was occupied by tenants with incomes exceeding 60% of the income ceiling for PLUS housing. This corresponds to around 520,000 households.
This finding is all the more regrettable when compared with the 430,000 households occupying private housing on incomes below this ceiling.
Measures that are not very effective
If a council housing tenant's financial situation improves, it is impossible to force them to leave. This leads to some shocking situations, as highlighted in the report by the Cour des Comptes. For example, 15% of people living in social housing have incomes twice the required thresholds.
To mitigate this situation, tenants may be required to pay an additional rent under certain conditions. The aim of this provision is to charge rents similar to those charged in the private sector, and ultimately to motivate tenants to leave.
The report calls for a number of reforms, particularly on two points:
Firstly, rents should be "reorganised" with the aim of transforming the regulatory maximum rents into rents set in correlation with the services provided to the beneficiaries.
The Court also calls into question the right to remain in low-cost housing in the Ile-de-France region, in particular by reviewing the excess rents and their many exemptions. A more robust and progressive system is recommended by the Court.
Insufficient social housing in Paris
Despite public subsidies, the scarcity and high cost of land are obstacles to construction.
In addition, the problem is exacerbated by the low mobility of tenants in Paris, who stay in their homes for a long time. In 2012, the mobility rate was twice as high in the provinces as in the Paris region.
