2023-09-23 09:41:35
Montreux (VD)
Seniors in disarray: “In October, we will be on the streets”
Two retirees had their lease terminated due to building renovation. The couple, who are looking for new accommodation, are refused by authorities due to insufficient income.
PublishedSeptember 23, 2023, 11:41 a.m.
Two retired couples had their lease terminated due to building renovation and found themselves without a housing solution from October.
DR
Hélène* and Gustave* can’t take it anymore. The lease on their Montreux apartment, where they have lived for around twenty years, was terminated for October due to renovations. This childless couple therefore took steps to find accommodation in the region. All attempts were in vain. “When you are old and in poor health, finding a suitable apartment has become a luxury,” laments Gustave, 85, a retired sales agent. “I suffered a stroke sixteen years ago. My husband and I had Covid. Since then, we have been constantly tired,” notes Hélène, 75 years old.
Currently, the two seniors pay 1,075 francs per month for a 2.5 room apartment. “Today, for similar accommodation, the authorities ask us twice as much. In October, we will be on the street,” Gustave advances bitterly in front of a pile of files. “More and more people from the Gulf prefer to rent apartments to stay there for only one month a year, because it is cheaper than a hotel,” adds Hélène.
No measures for seniors
On the other hand, many authorities do not take into account additional benefits in addition to the AVS that certain seniors who live in precarious circumstances receive. “The system of additional benefits for rent is not well known by managers,” analyzes Charlotte Christeler, communications manager for Pro Senectute Vaud. In fact, these can be increased in the event of higher rent.” As if to further complicate the case of the two seniors, “there is no adapted housing with support in the commune of Montreux,” she adds.
*Identified first names
“Elderly people are generally overexposed to the risk of termination. These people have occupied accommodation for a long time and landlords tend to terminate their lease in order to re-rent at a much higher price,” explains Fabrice Berney, secretary general of Asloca Vaud. A practice that can raise eyebrows but which remains legal. Recently, a Geneva initiative for the prohibition of terminating the lease contract of a person aged over 65 was rejected by the Council of States.
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