Slum landlords propagate on the Franco-Luxembourgish border

With people living in cellars and small flats with no heating or ventilation, government officials are often the first to be called to deal with situations of substandard housing, especially in areas under pressure.

Historically, the problem has mainly been around the cities in the east of France - mainly Metz and Forbach in Moselle - ‘but the north of the department, on the Franco-Luxembourgish border, is now a problem because it's now also developing there’, explains Gautier Guérin, deputy director of the Moselle Departmental Territorial Directorate (DDT).

Real estate pressure is very strong in Luxembourg, where prices are rising to an average of 8,000 euros per square metre, with over 10,000 euros per m2 in the centre of the country, according to a specialist website. These prices are similar to those in certain arrondissements of Paris.

And the requests keep pouring in... The presence of slum landlords, whose business can be very lucrative, is therefore a reality closer than one might think.

"At the moment, we are discussing major regional planning issues with Luxembourg, and housing needs in the broadest sense. The issue of substandard housing is part of the discussions," but has yet to reach sufficient depth, says Mr Guérin.

Continuous rise in the number of reports

The DDT notes a steady increase in reports: there were 600 in 2023, an increase of 32 percent compared to 2022, according to the directorate. Some 800 reports are expected for 2024. The DDT notes that more than half of all reports are resolved within the year ‘without the need to resort to coercive procedures’.

However, only 10 to 15 legal proceedings reach the courts each year, according to François Pérain, public prosecutor at the Metz Court of Appeal. "We don't have the capacity to take all 500 reports to court," he warns from the outset, but “we still need to increase the volume a little”.

Slum landlords, who sell uninhabitable homes at a premium, "should be brought before the criminal courts and punished", urges Mr Pérain - especially as the courts are the only body with the power to confiscate these properties. "In my opinion, this is a particularly effective deterrent".

An agreement has been signed between public prosecutors' offices and government departments to improve the reporting of information on slum landlords.

In Moselle, the authorities estimate that there are 13,000 substandard homes, which could represent around 30,000 inhabitants.

Introducing letting permits

In response to this situation, several local authorities have introduced letting permits in certain streets.

Before (re-)renting a property, landlords must apply for authorisation, sending the authorities supporting documents and scheduling a visit to check the condition of the property.

On rarer occasions, some local authorities have introduced a simple declaration system.

Val de Fensch, where almost 4 percent of substandard housing could be rented out, has been testing the rental permit since 2021 and has made it permanent in 2023, in seven of the ten communes in the area.

Over the past three years, 250 homes have been inspected and 12 have been refused permission to let out, explains Alexandra Rebstock-Pinna, the vice-president responsible for this issue. Around sixty others have received authorisation with recommendations for work to be carried out.

For the elected representative, this will "help to improve the overall property portfolio", and landlords have on the whole "welcomed the scheme".

This tool "seems not only effective, but quite educational at the same time", observes Mr Guérin. Four border municipalities in the Pays-Haut-Val d'Alzette region, including Villerupt (Meurthe-et-Moselle) and Audin-le-Tiche (Moselle), have also adopted the scheme and will be implementing it from 15 January. The rate of potentially unfit housing in this community of municipalities is estimated at 6%.

Landlords who fail to comply with the scheme could face fines.