This plan taken from the discussions of the National Council of the Refoundation (CNR), series of thematic consultations wanted by Emmanuel Macron, was to be announced Monday afternoon by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Matignon unveiled the essential on Sunday evening.

On housing, the expectation is 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 the power to live?", "reconciling the France with the production of new housing" and "making housing the vanguard of the ecological transition".

Three booklets were given to the Minister for Urban Affairs and Housing, Olivier Klein, with nearly 200 proposals.

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

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

"It is not in one go that we solve the entirety of the housing policy," said the entourage of Elisabeth Borne, assuring to touch "a little on all the levers" and act both on the structural and cyclical aspects of this crisis.

Inefficient Pinel

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

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

Buildings in Paris, in April 2023 © JOEL SAGET / AFP/Archives

The measure has reacted the French Federation of Builders of Individual Houses (FFC) for which, by removing the PTZ for the new detached house, the government means that the latter "is reserved for the richest, an elite".

Another measure: the monthly 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 upwards the ceilings of resources.

In order to promote access to renting, the government has chosen to stop the Pinel device at the end of 2024, deemed ineffective, to focus on "intermediate rental housing", namely housing that, without being social, allows moderate rents.

This system reserved for tense areas will be open to 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 carried out since 2018.

An additional €160 million over five years will also be devoted to the "Housing First" scheme, which consists of providing long-term housing to people who are poorly housed.

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

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

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.

© 2023 AFP