2023-10-04 10:30:04
Social housing: an alarming drop in construction
The issuance of building permits for low-income housing (HLM) has seen a drastic decline. In just one year, this reduction reached almost 28% over the period from September 2022 to September 2023. For the year 2023, only 85,000 permits have been granted, a figure well below the needs of the French social rental stock. According to the Social Union for Housing (USH), it would be necessary to create 198,000 new social housing units (new or renovated) per year to meet demand. Consequently, social landlords are struggling to meet the growing needs of applicants.
The finding is all the more worrying as for every 3.5 requests, only one social housing unit is available. With an average waiting time of three years to obtain housing, the social housing crisis affects many French households. In reality, a third of these households are eligible for such housing, and half of French citizens have, at some point in their life, resided in HLM. In 2022, demand was estimated at more than 2.5 million households waiting for social housing.
Financial and energy challenges are holding back the sector
In addition to the decline in construction, HLM organizations are facing significant financial challenges. The increase in energy bills (+25% for electricity in 2023) leads to late payment of rent, worsening the financial burden on social landlords. These delays jeopardize their mission to provide affordable housing.
Another issue weighs on the French real estate stock: the imperative to renovate nearly 4.8 million “thermal sieves” in France. Indeed, with the gradual ban on thermal strainers, these homes will soon no longer comply with current energy standards. The cost of their renovation dissuades the majority of landlords, both social and private, from undertaking work. Many are unable to afford these costs. As a result, not only is there a shortage of social housing, but many homes are also at risk of disappearing from the rental market.
The housing crisis is such that without intervention concrete from the government, many French people risk finding themselves on the streets in the coming years.
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