Resource context
This resource is a mission report titled “Report of the HOUS mission to Paris, France”, published by the European Parliament. It is authored by Members of the European Parliament participating in the delegation, including Irene Tinagli, Maravillas Abadía Jover, Leila Chaibi, Isabelle Le Callennec, and Nora Mebarek. The document summarises meetings and site visits held in Paris by the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis in the European Union (HOUS), focusing on housing affordability, access to rights, and sustainable rehabilitation of existing stock.
Purpose and mission focus
The report explains that a delegation of five Members travelled to Paris for a one-day mission to gather insight into the “Paris Housing Model” and the French approach to social housing. The programme combined discussions with civil-society organisations, national legislators, and the City of Paris, alongside visits to concrete housing projects. The mission’s stated areas of attention included stakeholder perspectives, housing solutions, systemic challenges, and potential areas for EU action.
Housing rights and frontline legal support
In meetings with Fondation pour le Logement des défavorisés (formerly Fondation Abbé Pierre) and Espace Solidarité Habitat, the delegation heard evidence of a gap between ambitious legal frameworks and real-world enforcement. The DALO law (enforceable right to housing) is described as a reference point, yet the report notes that the technical complexity of procedures can marginalise people the rules are meant to protect. Espace Solidarité Habitat’s model is presented as structured socio-legal accompaniment: serving as a local resource centre for around 5,000 poorly housed households per year, mediating with landlords and public bodies (including court engagement), and producing field-based analysis to inform policy improvement.
Market pressures, affordability, and EU conditionality
The report states that housing has become the primary household expense in France, with rising energy prices reinforcing the importance of energy renovation. Stakeholders argue that European public aid should include clear social conditions (beneficiaries, rent levels, and thermal quality) so that investment supports vulnerable households rather than primarily attracting private actors. The mission also highlights territorial disparities in the application of rights, noting that interpretations of DALO eligibility vary across French departments, creating unequal access depending on place of residence.
Non-profit housing models and financing mechanisms
A site visit to Habitat et Humanisme illustrates intermediate and socially mixed housing approaches, including dispersed apartments, grouped dispersed housing with shared spaces and support, intergenerational housing, and “pensions de famille”. The organisation is described as managing 13,000 housing units and combining public subsidies with private and solidarity finance. The report details mechanisms such as solidarity investment with tax reductions, mandatory solidarity investment channels linked to employee savings schemes under French law, incentives for private landlords to offer below-market rents, and long-term loans from public financial institutions.
Regulating short-term rentals and improving energy performance
In discussions with French National Assembly co-rapporteurs, the report links the growth of short-term tourist rentals to reduced long-term rental supply. It cites figures showing short-term rentals increasing from 300,000 (2016) to 800,000 (2021), alongside a halving of long-term rental availability, and notes a housing crisis affecting 14.6 million people in France. The newly adopted framework is summarised as expanding local tools (e.g., mandatory prior declarations, the ability to reduce the annual day cap for primary residences, and fines) and aligning energy performance requirements for short-term rentals with long-term housing, including a minimum energy rating of D by 2034.
Municipal tools and sustainable rehabilitation of social housing
The City of Paris presents an integrated strategy combining regulation, enforcement, and new financial instruments. The report notes direct municipal responsibility for rent control enforcement and reports outcomes including 3,356 tenant reports, reimbursements of over EUR 1.26 million to tenants, and fines totalling EUR 67,909 in the period cited. It also describes the Foncière du Logement Abordable (FLA) model, established in March 2025, aiming to produce 300–500 affordable units per year through 2035 via acquisitions and long-term leasing to social housing providers. On the sustainability side, the Sthrau rehabilitation of a 1922 social housing complex (115 dwellings) is highlighted, with an investment of nearly EUR 9 million and an expected ~60% reduction in energy consumption, improving performance from class E to class B.
Key takeaway for European cities
The report concludes that effective housing policy requires coordination across governance levels, adequately resourced frontline support, stakeholder engagement, and tools that combine social inclusion with ecological objectives. Paris is presented as a case where regulatory enforcement, community-led initiatives, and investment in renovating existing social housing stock are combined to address affordability, accessibility, and decarbonisation challenges.