The Council of State cancels the authorization to rent accommodation with a ceiling height of 1,80m

This decree relating to the "rules of hygiene and cleanliness of residential premises" significantly relaxed the rental criteria, allowing in particular the rental of "atypical" accommodation with a ceiling of at least 1,80 metres high or less than two metres wide.

The Council of State did not rule on the substance but partially rejected the text, arguing that it had not been submitted for consultation to the High Council for Public Health (HCSP).

In its decision, the highest French administrative court also ordered the State to pay the sum of 3.500 euros to the association Droit au logement (DAL), which initiated the appeal, which was joined by the Abbé-Pierre Foundation, Secours Catholique, ATD Quart-Monde, the Confédération nationale du logement (CNL) and the Solidaires union.

"This is a victory for tenants in the hands of slum landlords, large and small," the DAL said in a press release.

The association, however, regretted that the Council of State did not cancel the provisions of the decree authorizing in particular "the rental of one-room accommodation equipped with a toilet 30 m away as the crow flies".

In March, the High Committee for the Right to Housing, a government body, considered that the contested decree lowered "the level of requirement in terms of insalubrity and (weakened) the fight against slum landlords".

"The fall in housing production should not lead to the return to the real estate market of poor quality supply, which is potentially dangerous for health. Indeed, living in an apartment with a ceiling height of 1,80 m, or in a converted basement, with limited lighting and ventilation provided by simply opening the windows cannot be considered as respecting the right to housing of the occupants", the High Committee had estimated, calling for "a revision" of the decree.