Borne unveils mixed measures

Extension but tightening of the zero-rate loan (PTZ) to promote home ownership, rental aid but end of the Pinel device… The government unveiled on Sunday evening a series of technical provisions, without shock measures, to try to stem the housing crisis.

This plan, drawn from the discussions of the National Council for Refoundation (CNR), a series of thematic consultations desired by Emmanuel Macronwas to be announced on Monday afternoon by the Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Matignon unveiled the essentials on Sunday evening.

Three notebooks of grievances with 200 proposals

On housing, expectations are enormous and unanimous. The number of households waiting for social housing (2.42 million) has never been so high and the number of homeless people has climbed to 330,000.

Real estate professionals, associations, social landlords: the housing world as a whole showed the same impatience to see the executive act.

Since the end of November, recognized personalities from the world of the sector have collected grievances and proposals on three subjects: “how to give back to the French people the power to live? “, “reconcile France with the production of new housing” and “make housing the vanguard of the ecological transition”.

Three notebooks were given to the Minister Delegate for Cities and Housing, Olivier Kleinwith nearly 200 proposals.

The government has retained a series of technical provisions intended to respond to all aspects of the crisis, but without shock measures such as the supervision of land prices, one of the strong proposals from the CNR.

The zero-interest loan extended… but limited

On sensitive subjects, such as the overhaul of the taxation of furnished tourist accommodation, accused of aggravating the crisis, major projects will also be “open”, assured Matignon.

“It is not in one go that we solve the entire housing policy”, specified the entourage of Élisabeth Borne, ensuring to touch “a little on all the levers” and to act at the same time on the structural and cyclical aspects of this crisis.

On paper, the government has five objectives: to promote home ownership and rental, support the production and renovation of social housing, relaunch construction and amplify the energy renovation of the private sector.

To help households acquire their homes in a context of rising interest rates, the PTZ, which was to end at the end of 2023, will be extended until 2027. But the system will be refocused on “new collective housing” in areas tense, and in all housing (collective and individual) in relaxed areas subject to renovation.

The measure caused the French Federation of Individual Home Builders (FFC) to react for whom, by removing the PTZ for new individual homes, the government means that the latter “is reserved for the richest, for an elite”.

End of the Pinel device

Another measure: the monthly payment for the revision of the wear rate will be extended until the end of 2023 in order to prevent this rate from “becoming a blockage”.

The development of the “solidarity real lease”, which makes it possible to acquire cheaper housing without owning the land, will also be “supported”, assured Matignon, by revising the resource ceilings upwards.

In order to promote access to rental, the government has chosen to stop the Pinel system at the end of 2024, deemed ineffective, to focus on “intermediate rental housing”, i.e. housing which, without being social, allows moderate rents.

This system reserved for tense areas will be open to around a hundred additional municipalities, currently located in relaxed areas.

The “Visale” guarantee, which makes it possible to obtain a rental deposit from Action Logement, will also be extended to “more than 2 million people” by 2027, against 1 million since 2018.

Measures for social housing

An additional envelope of 160 million over five years will also be devoted to the “Housing first” system, which consists in granting permanent housing to people who are poorly housed.

Measures have also been announced for social housing but still need to be the subject of a “pact” with social landlords. The aim is to help them renovate their housing stock, invest in the production of housing and support their own funds.

To relaunch new construction, which is currently at a standstill, the government plans to have Caisse des Dépôts and Action Logement buy out 47,000 unsold homes from developers.

Finally, to accelerate the energy renovation of buildings, the MaPrimeRénov’ system will be strengthened.

These measures will be financed in particular by the end of the Pinel device and the refocusing of the PTZ, said Matignon.