The City of Paris, the first community to be able to control the rent control applicable in tense areas, sent its first fines to twenty-four landlords, after having received more than 900 reports from tenants in six months.
“The couriers left before July 14,” housing assistant Ian Brossat told Agence France-Presse on Monday July 17. This is the “last summons” for these landlords, who had two months to lower their rents after receiving the formal notice. They still have “one month to get regularized. Beyond that, the fines are triggered, ”explained the elected communist.
Among the twenty-four fines sent, seventeen concern individuals, five of whom must pay the maximum fine, namely 5,000 euros. Among the seven companies concerned, “real estate owners of buildings”, one must pay the maximum amount, or 15,000 euros, further details Ian Brossat. The amount of the fine “depends on the overpayment,” adds the housing assistant.
Chic boroughs less affected
Of the more than 900 reports received since January, half relate to studios (51%) and a third (32%) to two-room apartments. The 11th arrondissement tops the list, ahead of the 18th arrondissement. The chic districts located on the left bank of the Seine (5th, 6th and 7th) are the least affected.
The volume of reports, which peaked in March (with 187 reports), has since been declining. But “the subject will rebound in September, when people sign their leases and see the abuses”, anticipates Ian Brossat.
According to the City of Paris, around a third of new leases signed in the capital in 2021 exceeded the ceiling rents, determined by several criteria (empty or furnished, date of construction, number of rooms and district).
The first city to have applied rent control, in mid-2019, Paris, since joined by several municipalities or conurbations in tight areas, has also been since January 1 the first to be able to control this control, previously a competence of the State.
