In his general policy statement, Michel Barnier called for "rapid measures to revive rental investment and home ownership, particularly for first-time buyers", for whom he wants "the extension of zero-rate loans throughout the country".
This measure, which allows easier access to credit, has been demanded by real estate professionals for months and could, according to them, help to revive the construction of new housing.
For the construction of new housing, the PTZ is currently reserved for so-called "tense" areas, which concern more than 1.800 municipalities, and only for apartments, houses having been excluded from the system given the objectives of combating artificialization of soils.
"We must simplify as much as possible the standards that weigh on the construction of new housing or the rehabilitation of old ones," added Michel Barnier without giving further details.
The Prime Minister also indicated that the energy performance diagnosis (DPE) would be "simplified" and its timetable "adapted".
The DPE classifies housing from A to G according to their energy consumption and their impact on the climate and it is on this basis that the "Climate and Resilience" law of 2021 plans to gradually ban the rental of energy-intensive housing.
According to the current schedule, G-rated housing will no longer be able to be rented from January 1, 2025, then F-rated housing from 2028 and finally E-rated housing from 2034.
An adjustment could therefore mean a postponement of the date of the ban on energy sieves.
A first adjustment to the DPE calculation method came into force on July 1st concerning housing of less than 40 square meters, in order to correct a "bias" which disadvantaged small surfaces.
On the subject of social housing, Michel Barnier believes that "landlords must be able to regularly re-examine the situation of their tenants" and wants to "give more power to mayors in the allocation" of social housing.
More than a year after the relaxation of the "zero net artificialisation" of soils (ZAN) objective to combat the concreting of land, Michel Barnier said he was in favour of a new change in the regulations during his general policy statement.
Calling for "action on housing", the largest item of expenditure for the French, the Prime Minister said he wanted to "revitalise housing construction", which requires "land".
"We must develop the 'zero net artificialisation' regulation in a pragmatic and differentiated manner to meet the essential needs of industry and housing," he told MPs, a demand that is still very strong among local elected officials.
Every year, between 20.000 and 30.000 hectares of agricultural land and natural environments are consumed by urbanization.
Included in the Climate and Resilience Act of 2021, the objective of "zero net artificialization" of soils aims to stop urban sprawl by 2050 to better combat the consequences of climate change, while preserving biodiversity and agricultural land.
By this date, any new urbanized area must be compensated by the renaturation of an equivalent area.
An intermediate objective provides for halving the rate of soil artificialization by 2031 compared to the period 2011-2021.
Faced with the revolt of local elected officials, who denounce overly complex application rules, the implementation of the ZAN has already been relaxed by the law of July 20, 2023, introducing in particular a minimum right to build for municipalities.
Reactions from professional organizations and associations
The National Real Estate Federation
The National Real Estate Federation (Fnaim) welcomed the "real awareness of the urgency to act".
She welcomes the announcement of a "necessary adaptation of the energy renovation schedule". Its president Loïc Cantin also welcomes a return of the PTZ throughout France.
The Abbé-Pierre Foundation
According to Manuel Domergue, director of studies at the Abbé-Pierre Foundation, there is "nothing positive for the poorly housed to take away from the speech".
The association leader deplores in particular the "postponement of obligations to renovate sieves", the "allocations of social housing in the hands of mayors" and social landlords "abandoned without financial support".
The French Federation of Individual House Builders
For Damien Hereng, President of the FFC: "We can only welcome the announcements made by the Prime Minister, during his general policy statement, concerning new housing. The return of the PTZ throughout the country will be likely to boost home ownership for first-time buyers and therefore new construction in all its forms. Furthermore, awareness of the catastrophic consequences of the ZAN policy on peripheral areas is excellent news. The Prime Minister and his Minister of Housing can count on our full support to implement these measures, which are so eagerly awaited by professionals, fellow citizens and the regions."
The French Building Federation
The FFB welcomes the fact that the Prime Minister has acknowledged the housing crisis affecting the country.
In his general policy speech, he indicated the need for "rapid measures to revive rental investment and home ownership". As proposed by the FFB, he said he was "in favour of extending the zero-rate loan (PTZ) throughout the country". This is an essential measure to revive first-time home ownership, where the needs of our fellow citizens are expressed.
The Prime Minister, stressing that the energy renovation of buildings was a major concern for him, also announced a "plan for the insulation of state buildings".
Finally, he indicated that he was relaunching the simplification work. The FFB has a range of proposals available to the government to facilitate the act of building or renovating. Some of them have also been taken up by the Court of Auditors in its recent report on building permits.
For Olivier Salleron, President of the FFB: "These first announcements, particularly the PTZ, are a real breath of fresh air for the sector. They come at the right time, as the mortgage market is gradually reopening. The FFB now hopes for their rapid implementation, as well as confirmation of the stability of the rules applying to MaPrimeRénov'. Craftsmen and construction companies are ready!"
Intermunicipalities of France
Following the general policy statement by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, Intercommunalités de France is satisfied with the hand extended to local authorities, particularly on issues related to public finances or the ecological transition. Many of the topics addressed, such as water, housing, transport, or the ZAN are at the heart of the intercommunalities' skills. But the concrete means to be implemented to achieve the stated objectives would deserve to be specified. As part of the upcoming discussions with members of the Government, the elected representatives of the Intercommunalités de France bodies would like to obtain clarifications on the policies that will be implemented and will inform them of the association's proposals.
Regarding finances, the Prime Minister's desire to work "with local authorities, and not against them or without them" is an encouraging signal after many unjustified accusations made against local authorities. Intercommunalités de France reaffirms the spirit of dialogue and consultation dear to the association which will preside over discussions with the Ministers of the Economy and the Budget.
Although priority is also given to the ecological transition, at the heart of the skills of the communities of communes, agglomerations and metropolises, Intercommunalités de France questions the arbitrations which will be made on the green fund, necessary for financing policies in favor of the environment in the territories.
The elected representatives of Intercommunalités de France are particularly sensitive to the issue of water management, a priority of the association. If the creation of a "major national conference" dedicated to "strategic issues related to water" is an interesting signal, Intercommunalités de France calls on the Prime Minister to reaffirm the commitment of the executive to maintain the transfer of the management of drinking water and sanitation in 2026 to the intercommunalities. This is a matter of the imperative of sobriety in a context of scarcity of the resource.
More generally, the key words "listening, dialogue and contractualization with local authorities and local elected officials" displayed by the Prime Minister are a positive signal, but one that needs to be implemented concretely. Intercommunalités de France hopes that answers will be provided at its 34th convention in Le Havre from October 16 to 18.
Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.