Paris City Hall announces reinforced controls on rent control

Introduced in 2015 to curb the explosion of prices in the capital, this emblematic measure was canceled by the courts in 2017 before being finally reinstated by the municipality in mid-2019 for five years.

"The rent control is beginning to produce its effects globally, but there is still too much abuse, especially on small surfaces," Ian Brossat (PCF) told AFP. "Which is particularly unfair because those who suffer from it are often young people who have small incomes and who are the ones who pay the most per m2, so it's a little double the penalty".

"So we need the framework for rents to be better respected, all the more so in the context of the social crisis we are going through," he added, a week after a meeting of the main players concerned.

"From now" and until a first point of step in June, the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) will therefore multiply "random checks" on real estate advertisements.

These announcements must mention the potential "rent supplements", linked to exceptional services (houses, view of the Eiffel Tower, etc.), and this point "is not always respected", according to Ian Brossat.

The DGCCRF explained Tuesday evening to AFP that a control of the supervision of rents was not doing its missions and that it had no plan planned in Paris on this subject.

Regarding advertisements placed by individuals on digital platforms, the town hall also wants to set up "a system capable of detecting excessively high rents" and "automatically sending an alert message" to owners.

In addition to this tool, there will be a barometer "capable of measuring the compliance rate of advertisements published by real estate agencies and digital platforms", specified Ian Brossat.

To be considered excessive, the amount of rent must be 20% higher than the reference rent, set annually by prefectural decree.

Since the Elan law of 2018, a lessor, who after having been put on formal notice refuses to return the rent to its legal level and to reimburse the overpayment to the tenant, risks a fine of up to 5.000 euros.

The first penalties fell last fall with five fines of between 300 and 1.090 euros pronounced against offending owners by the prefect of Ile-de-France.