Political uncertainties and urgent need for support at the center of the congress of the National Federation of Real Estate (FNAIM)

Visit of the Minister of Housing cancelled, absence of budget, uncertainty over the fate of energy sieves: the annual congress of the National Federation of Real Estate (Fnaim), which closed on Tuesday 10 December, was held under the sign of political uncertainty and still awaiting support measures for the sector in crisis.

"We have been experiencing a crisis for two years which has weakened businesses, (...) and today a political crisis has been added: no more government, no more Prime Minister and therefore no more Minister of Housing", Loïc Cantin, the president of Fnaim, introduced on Monday.

The fall of the government, censored by the deputies last week, froze the examination of the draft budget for 2025 which contained measures considered important to revive the real estate sector.

Housing construction has been suffering for two years from rising construction costs and high interest rates, which are holding back households in their property projects and contributing to blocking all links in the housing chain, from social housing to renovation.

"Housing is a large ocean liner that takes several years to slow down, turn around, and accelerate again," recalled Gilles de Robien, Minister of Housing from 2002 to 2005 in the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who put into perspective the impact of the fall of the government "if this interlude is short and brief."

Invited, with two other former Housing Ministers, Pierre Méhaignerie and Cécile Duflot, to replace the cancelled visit of the current resigning Minister Valérie Létard, they addressed few praises to the policy pursued since Emmanuel Macron became President, accused of having neglected housing while "the subject affects 100% of the French" underlined Ms Duflot, Minister from 2012 to 2014.

Conversely, most of the actors who spoke at the congress, regardless of their political affiliation, said they were satisfied with the action taken so far by Valérie Létard, saying they hoped to see her re-elected.

"And then?"

As for Tuesday's round table entitled "2025 Finance Bill: what next?", it saw four parliamentarians debate the urgent measures to be taken in the housing sector, but without being able to rejoice in having voted for the extension of the zero-rate loan (PTZ), nor an exceptional tax exemption for donations intended for a property purchase, included in the PLF.

In addition to the means of assistance for the purchase of a first home, they are considering the status of private landlord and the fate of energy sieves, in particular housing classified G in the energy performance diagnosis (DPE), which will be prohibited from rental from January 1.

A bill, presented at the end of October and whose examination is also at a standstill, proposed granting a period of time for G housing located in co-ownerships that have decided to carry out work but have not yet completed it. The text planned to apply the rental ban only from the renewal, tacit renewal of the lease or the signing of a new contract.

Banning the rental of all G-rated housing on January 1st means that "646.000 housing units declared indecent will be subject to recourse by the tenant against the owner" to obtain a reduction in rent or non-payment of rent until work is carried out, warns Loïc Cantin.

He calculates that even if the law were applied to the tacit renewal or renewal of the lease, this represents on average "18.000 homes per month" which will be removed from the rental market.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.