The City of Paris will double the tax on vacant housing in 2027.

"It's not the quality of life that makes families leave, it's the price per square meter. In truth, families are not leaving, they are being driven out by real estate speculation," said the new socialist mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire.

"In Paris, 40% of private housing is owned by people who own at least five properties. (...) This leads to a massive increase in the number of unoccupied homes with nearly 300.000 vacant homes and second homes," added Mr. Grégoire.

To stem the crisis, the government plans to tax vacancy more heavily.

"The draft finance bill allows us to increase the rates of the tax on vacant housing from 17% of the cadastral rental value after one year of vacancy and 34% after two years, to 30% after one year and 60% after two years," Deputy Housing Minister Jacques Baudrier told AFP.

With the tax set to reach its maximum level in early 2027, the communist representative is calling on homeowners to "rent out or sell their properties to avoid paying it." He hopes this will "recover tens of thousands of homes."

The second key measure is the creation of a "housing protection brigade" of approximately 150 people who will intervene "in the fight against illegal tourist accommodation, unsanitary housing and slum landlords, the prevention of evictions as well as for the respect of rent control".

This brigade will also support tenants facing "abusive practices, such as lease misappropriation, piecemeal sales or certain speculative practices aimed at driving out existing tenants".

This brigade will include staff already in place, but recruitment is also planned.

A single online portal will allow residents to directly report their difficulties.

Grégory Canal (DVD), co-chairman with Rachida Dati of the right-wing opposition group Paris Liberté, denounced a "kind of hunt for vacant housing", comparing the new brigade to a "sort of administrative militia", immediately drawing condemnation from the left.

LR councillor Aurélien Véron denounced the "distrust towards landlords". "You are ignoring the reality of the social housing stock (...) Buildings are being left to decay," he accused.