Lecornu aims to build 2 million homes by 2030

"I have no doubt that we, as a profession, will be closely watched for our collective ability to succeed and deliver 2 million homes by 2030. So it's absolutely colossal. That's 400.000 homes per year," the Prime Minister stated during a press conference in Rosny-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis). Housing is one of "the major emergencies in the country" that "cannot wait for the major debate of the 2027 presidential election."

In the social housing sector, he aims to "reach 125.000 homes built by 2026".

To achieve these objectives, the government has announced an "unprecedented" increase in resources dedicated to social housing: 500 million euros will be allocated to 700 social landlords, so that "they build more and renovate more".

This announcement is the main objective of a housing stimulus plan, presented as "one of the most radical plans of the last ten years in its philosophy", in order to "massively revive construction and renovation".

Sébastien Lecornu presented several principles for this future plan. "We mustn't annoy the French," he declared, a way of calling for more flexibility to revive the sector, just as we must not, according to him, oppose "the social against the private and the private against the social", as well as "the rural and the urban".

The Prime Minister intends to apply the methodology "of Notre-Dame and the Olympic Games" to housing.

The levers used to achieve this are "unprecedented financial support for social landlords" included in the 2026 budget, "French savings to revive rental investment" as well as "a timetable of commitments to simplify real estate projects", relying on local elected officials and stakeholders in the sector.

Furthermore, in a statement, the Prime Minister said he wanted "the acceleration of the transformation of the tertiary sector" towards "residential and housing production".

It also aims to "facilitate energy renovation work" to bring "formerly F and G rated properties" back onto the market.

Finally, he announced his intention to facilitate the financing of energy renovations for social housing and to "protect" landlords "against rent defaults".

A new rental investment scheme, which could be named after Vincent Jeanbrun, replacing the Pinel scheme, has been welcomed by professionals in the sector.

This is an improved version of the "private landlord status", a tax advantage designed to encourage individuals to invest in housing to rent out.

This scheme will "allow for the construction of nearly 50.000 additional homes per year", according to the Minister of Housing, and should generate more than 500 million euros in tax revenue.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.