the National Assembly adopts a text in an emergency

2023-06-01 04:13:22

In a stormy atmosphere, the National Assembly approved, on the night of Wednesday May 31 to Thursday 1^is June, the extension of a 3.5% cap on rent increases for households and SMEs, with the left accusing the majority of opening the door to an increase rather than “come” the rents.

“I am fully aware that this text is being examined within restricted and unusual timeframes”, recognized the rapporteur, Thomas Cazenave (Rennaissance, Gironde), at the opening of the debates, Wednesday evening, on his text, co-signed by the groups of the presidential camp (Renaissance, MoDem, Horizons). It proposes to renew until the beginning of 2024 the “rent shield” – this is a cap on the rise in the benchmark rent index at 3.5%. Established in the summer of 2022, it was due to end at the end of June. A similar device caps the increase in the commercial rent index for SMEs.

As the end of the shield approached, in a context of high inflation, the extension proposal had to be registered urgently in order to hope to complete the parliamentary shuttle in time. The government has also initiated the accelerated procedure (one reading before each chamber).

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Rents: how much can they increase this quarter?

The deputies of the Freedom, Independent, Overseas and Territories (LIOT), Les Républicains (LR) and National Rally (RN) groups denounced certain limits of the text but voted for it. Adopted overnight by 259 votes to 93, after a tense session marked by interpellations and points of order, it will now go to the Senate.

“It is impossible to freeze rents”

Thomas Cazenave defended “emergency” to extend this ” shield “, under penalty of seeing the rents “soar by more than 6% from July”. The deputies on the left retorted to him that it was necessary to “come” and voted against the text.

“This shield illusion will necessarily lead to a rise”lamented the ecologist Cyrielle Chatelain (Isère). “This will be contained [mais] any increase would create the risk of throwing even more people into poverty”she insisted.

“Tenants have already suffered a 3.5% increase [en 2022-2023] and will know with your device a new rise. (…) The only answer to the height would be a freeze”abounded the communist Stéphane Peu (Seine-Saint-Denis). “We are asking for a blank year”insisted the “rebellious” William Martinet (Yvelines).

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Rents rising moderately, but a housing shortage

“It is impossible to freeze rents”retorted Mr. Cazenave, advocating the” balance “ in between “tenants” et “owners, also impacted by inflation”. He also warned of censorship by the Constitutional Council in the event of a rent freeze or an overly broad extension of the shield. An argument rejected by the left, which argues that past rent freezes have not posed this problem. “A strict extension [du dispositif] will not raise constitutional risks”insisted the Minister Delegate for Trade, Olivia Grégoire.

The World with AFP