Extension limited to current areas

The rent control experiment in France could be extended until 2028, following the Senate's adoption of a bill on Wednesday, October 21, which would extend the program for an additional two years. However, this extension is limited to the nine territories already affected by the policy and does not include provisions to expand the program to new communities.

Senate opts for limited extension

The original version of the bill, which was drafted by the National Assembly, aimed to make rent control a permanent program and open it to new communities. However, the Senate opted for a limited extension of two years, keeping the scope unchanged. This decision would prevent the experiment from expiring on November 24, 2026, without expanding its scope.

Nine territories remain under rent control

The extension would maintain rent control in the nine territories currently under the experiment, which includes 71 communes and approximately 1.2 million tenants. These areas include Paris, Lille, Lyon-Villeurbanne, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Grenoble, the Basque Country, as well as the Île-de-France territories of Plaine Commune and Est Ensemble. However, no new community will be able to join the program, meaning cities like Rennes or Marseille will have to wait for a possible legislative change.

Senate rejects stricter landlord rules

Communities already involved in the program would retain the possibility of ending the experiment before its deadline. The Senate also rejected several provisions aimed at strengthening constraints on landlords, including stricter sanctions, a more restrictive definition of rent supplements, or the inclusion of coliving and service residences in the program.

Changes to appeal deadlines

Two important changes to the appeal deadlines were retained: the period allowing a tenant to contest a rent supplement would increase from three months to one year, and the period for the action to reduce rent, when the amount requested exceeds the authorized limit, would be reduced from three years to one year. These changes would require property managers and professionals in the rental management sector to adapt their advisory practices and monitor potential disputes.

Enhanced monitoring of rent data

The text also provides for strengthening the statistical monitoring of rents, relying in particular on fiscal data from the "Manage My Real Estate" (GMBI) tool. This measure responds to one of the criticisms raised by the Court of Audit in its report of October 14, which highlighted the limitations of the data currently used to determine reference rents.

Final approval still pending

Although the Senate's vote is an important step, the extension of rent control is not yet definitively secured. The bill must now return to the National Assembly, with a particularly tight schedule: the current experiment must reach its end date on November 24, 2026. Until a final adoption, the currently applicable rules remain unchanged. Real estate professionals must therefore continue to respect the ceilings and the procedures for appeals currently in effect in the affected territories.

Debates continue over program's impact

This vote takes place as the effectiveness of rent control continues to be debated. A few days earlier, the Court of Audit had published a nuanced assessment of the program, while the UNIS warned about the risks of a decrease in the rental supply.