Senators want to reform co-ownership regulations

Nearly a third of primary residences, or around 10 million homes, are in co-ownership, and nearly a million co-owners are modest or very modest, therefore at risk of being drawn into the vicious circle of deterioration of co-ownerships.

“A co-ownership is not born fragile, it becomes fragile,” write senators Amel Gacquerre (UDI), president of the commission of inquiry, and Marianne Margaté (PCF), rapporteur.

Aging of buildings, multiplication of unpaid charges, impoverishment of residents, dysfunction of management bodies... all these phenomena interact with each other, and can lead to situations of unworthy housing.

In order to prevent these situations, the senators wish to strengthen, in decision-making within a co-ownership, the voting rights of owner-occupiers, and limit that of co-owners "presenting an intentional and abusive delay in payment of charges".

The objective is to “prevent the entry and takeover of slumlords in co-ownerships, who have every interest in not paying the charges and accelerating the deterioration”, maintained Marianne Margate.

They also want to create a residents' council and allow tenants to attend union council meetings and general assemblies.

The Chancellery, known to be reluctant to reform the rules relating to property, was surveyed, and "there is indeed great vigilance on its part", recognized the rapporteur, while considering having received "fairly attentive listening".

The two parliamentarians are calling on the Ministry of Justice to draw up standard co-ownership regulations, and to develop a bankruptcy procedure for trustees.

They also wish to increase the resources dedicated to operations to rehabilitate degraded condominiums, and extend them to suburban housing or small condominiums.