A decree freezes the obligations of municipalities regarding social housing, much to the dismay of the sector.

This decree, published at the end of January in the Official Journal, allows metropolitan areas such as Toulouse, Caen or Dijon to escape a tightening of their obligations.

With the worsening housing shortage, rental pressure has increased in Toulouse, exceeding the ratio of five applications per unit allocated. It should have shifted towards a target of 25% social housing stock for the period 2026-2028, compared to the current 20%.

Thanks to the revision of the calculation rule, it remains at the floor rate, a level close to its existing stock (22%), avoiding a forced catch-up in construction.

The text modifies the "tension threshold," the ratio between annual applications and allocations. Previously set at 4, this rate, which triggers the increased obligation under the Solidarity and Urban Renewal (SRU) law, is now set at 5,5.

This change in parameters freezes the situation for territories where needs have nevertheless increased.

"By changing this rate, they are effectively saying 'it's okay, we're within the limits'. But the reality is that there is a need for social housing in Toulouse," Emmanuelle Cosse, former Minister of Housing, told AFP.

According to the president of the Social Union for Housing (USH), this measure masks the worsening shortage, given that "there are fewer homes available today than there were three years ago."

She is alarmed for applicants facing "waiting lists of 15, 20 years" which "are expected to get longer".

Those close to the Ministry of Housing justify this revision by the need to adapt to "local realities", believing that the municipalities concerned lack land to reach higher targets.

This logic is contested by the USH, the majority of whose members voted against this decree in the national commission, denouncing the lack of "scientific explanation".

Without this amendment, dozens of urban areas would have seen their constraints tightened. Nationally, 87 urban areas and 144 inter-municipal entities remain subject to the 20% rate, according to the list annexed to the decree.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.