In Paris, more tenants dismissed as the 2024 Olympics approach

The proportion of Parisian tenants who reported that their landlords had terminated the contract and asked to leave the accommodation without respecting the forms increased as the Olympic Games approached, revealed Tuesday March 19 the Departmental Information Agency on the accommodation (Adil).

In 2022, 19% of leaves reported to Adil "were not valid in form", declared Adil director Hélène Le Gall during a press briefing, a figure rising to 23% in 2023 and 28% between September and February.

Political and community leaders fear that landlords will evict their tenants to put their property on an Airbnb-type platform and rent it at a high price during the Olympics (July 26-August 11).

“At my office, I see more and more cases of leave that has been given fraudulently or tenants who have strong suspicions,” lawyer Virginie Audinot, specializing in real estate law, testified during the press briefing.

A lessor can only give notice to a tenant on the anniversary date of the lease. He must notify the tenant at least three months in advance (six months for an unfurnished property) and he can only do this to sell the property or take it back in order to accommodate himself or relatives there.

"When our partners alert us to the increase in fraudulent leave, we take immediate measures such as strengthening Adil's legal hotlines (...) dedicated numbers (...) a page on paris.fr to remind the rights and obligations of owners", added the Parisian elected official (PCF) responsible for supervising rents and furnished tourist accommodation, Barbara Gomes.

With other elected communists, the deputy in charge of Housing Jacques Baudrier and the senator Ian Brossat, she asked the State to decree "an Olympic truce", on the model of the winter truce which prevents rental evictions between the November 1 and March 31.

“A certain number of owners are getting rid of their tenants with the aim of renting their accommodation on platforms (such as Airbnb, Editor’s note) during the Olympic Games period,” accused Ian Brossat, calling on tenants suspecting fraudulent leave to tell him report.

He also proposed to introduce an obligation to declare to the prefecture the leave given to tenants in order to better control their validity.