From September 1, the town hall of Chartres must be systematically informed of an intention to rent accommodation by its owner. The Municipal Hygiene and Health Service (SCHS) will therefore have full authority to carry out a diagnosis of the accommodation, in order to ensure that it is not unsanitary. After deliberating on it last February, the municipality draws its new weapon to fight against unfit housing and declares war on the “slum merchants”.
The rental permit, as in the meadows of four hundred cities in France which adopt it, will apply within a well-defined perimeter, from the lower town to the hypercentre. This area is part of the Action heart of the city plan, between boulevard Chasles, boulevard de la Courtille, boulevard Clemenceau, boulevard du Maréchal-Foch and boulevard Jean-Jaurès. “Chartres intramural”, summarizes Karine Dorange, deputy mayor in charge of town planning and works. In the heart of Chartres, 46% of residents are private tenants.
The accommodation must, for example, comply with the criteria of habitable surfaces and volumes (not less than 9 m², for a minimum volume of 20 m³), general condition, equipment, safety, decency and comfort. which allow it to be rented. Ventilation will be analyzed, as will the heating system and the positioning of electrical outlets. If the two sworn agents of the Municipal Hygiene and Health Service (SCHS) consider that it does not meet these criteria, the City may then require the owner to carry out the necessary work to bring it into compliance with the law.
“It is also a way for us to have a better knowledge of the state of the private rental stock and to improve the state of this heritage”, specifies the elected official. The hyper-center of Chartres represents approximately 11,000 owners. “No more than 10% of rental properties are unsanitary,” recognizes Karine Dorange. For the time being, 155 buildings, or 537 housing units, are in the sights of the authorities. “We are committed to providing tenants with decent housing. Often, these people in a precarious situation are vulnerable and do not dare to complain,” remarks the deputy mayor.
Once the free form has been properly completed and the owner’s file complete, the visit to the services takes place within eight to fifteen days. The decision, in the form of a municipal decree, is issued within one month. Marie Bretagne, business development manager at Solidarimmo, welcomes the initiative but qualifies: “We also want to fight against unsanitary housing and precariousness, it is obvious that this fight is imperative to lead. However, you have to use common sense. When I see that today this approach is mandatory for new housing, it makes no sense. »
New homes are also affected…
These files will naturally be processed “more quickly”, replies the deputy mayor, who recalls that in the absence of notification of an express decision within one month, “silence is tacit authorization to rent”. “Most of the damage observed on housing in the city center could have been avoided if the necessary work had been carried out in due time. This device will allow us to avoid emergency situations related to unsanitary conditions”, continues Karine Dorange, alluding to several people who bought a property in an unsanitary building, which quickly had to be put in urgent security (former imminent peril).
If you forget to apply for a rental permit, the law provides for a fine of €5,000, which can reach €15,000 in the event of a repeat offence. But, on September 1, the lessor will not have to ask for the precious document if his accommodation is already occupied by a tenant. It is once the latter has left that he will have to ask for it. It will then be necessary to request it every two years.
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