How the government plans to better combat squatting
Ministers Gérald Darmanin, Éric Dupond-Moretti, and Guillaume Kasbarian sent a circular to the prefects urging them to take action against illegal housing occupations.
This initiative comes three years after the creation of a monitoring center for squats, which was never followed up on.
A New Push to Combat Squatting
The circular, signed by the ministers of the Interior, Justice, and Housing, aims to prevent the proliferation of squats. It signals the commitment of Guillaume Kasbarian, the new minister of Housing, to address this sensitive issue.
Monthly tracking of eviction requests
Prefects are now required to report monthly on the number of requests to evict squatters and their responses. They may deny a request for eviction on two grounds: an incomplete application or a “compelling reason of public interest,” such as the presence of children, the elderly, the sick, or people with disabilities among the squatters.
Varying Eviction Deadlines
The law sets a 24-hour deadline for evicting squatters, but in practice, it can take longer. The circular stipulates that this time limit cannot be less than 24 hours in the case of the owner’s “primary residence,” which gives prefects some leeway. If the squatted property is not the owner’s primary residence, the minimum eviction period is 7 days.
A firm stance on the processing time for requests
The circular reiterates that the processing time for removal requests must not exceed 48 hours. To ensure that this deadline is met, the ministers have asked the prefects to report to them the average time between the submission of removal requests and the issuance of responses.
A reality that is difficult to grasp
The figures reported by the prefects may not accurately reflect the reality of squatting, as some landlords prefer to pay the squatters or evict them themselves, even at the risk of being convicted. Furthermore, some lawyers pursue lengthy and costly legal proceedings rather than using the expedited procedure with the prefect.
The new circular aims to strengthen prefects' efforts to combat squatting by establishing monthly monitoring of eviction requests and reiterating the deadlines that must be met. However, the reality on the ground remains complex and difficult to grasp.
