Paris 2024 Olympic Games: “It's obvious that he's not going to live at La Chapelle…”, when Parisian tenants are fired from their homes because of greed

Les Jeux Olympiques de Paris ont un impact sur l'immobilier parisien. MAXPPP – Vincent Isore

As the Paris 2024 Olympic Games approach, owners may be tempted to offer their accommodation for short-term rental. The dismissed tenants are worried about not finding somewhere to find new accommodation.

"The owner told us that he wanted his apartment back in June", tells AFP Axel, a 34-year-old IT specialist, who has been living in shared accommodation at Porte de la Chapelle, in the north-east of Paris for five years.

"We were a little surprised because he has several apartments in the capital. It's obvious that he's not going to live at the Chapel… We looked at the calendar, we immediately understood, adds the 30-year-old who doesn't want to give his name. family.

Some 16 million tourists are expected in Paris during the Games, from July 26 to August 11. Faced with a saturated and overpriced hotel supply, prices for short-term rentals are exploding. And whet appetites.

Very precise reasons must however be given 

"The number of requests for registration of furnished tourist accommodation with Paris City Hall increased from 45,000 to 60,000 over one year", notes Pierre-Louis Monteiro , project manager at the Departmental Housing Information Agency (Adil) in Paris.

"We see a clear increase, with a windfall effect that seems to be playing a role." An opportunity that owners can take advantage of, provided they respect the law. "We frequently have cases where the reason given is not clear", explains Sophie Morvan, lawyer at Adil.

"However, the law provides that the owner must justify the reason for the recovery" of an apartment. The reasons are limited and precise: "the owner can recover it to live in it himself, or his ascendants and descendants, or those of his spouse, or even to sell it" after the expiration of the lease, "or for legitimate and serious reasons, such as major work or serious misconduct by the tenant" during the lease.

Real estate under tension in Paris

According to a study by Adil de Paris, between a quarter and a third of the notices notified to tenants did not respect the substantive or formal obligations in 2022.  The Paris town hall and the agency have set up a number (01 42 79 50 44) which allows you to seek advice from a lawyer and ensure that the procedure is respected .

Objective: prevent a wave of irregular leave which would saturate a suffering Parisian market, where the stock of apartments for rent has fallen by 74% in three years according to a study of the SeLoger site from 2024.

"I had no intention of leaving my home but I had to sign a mobility lease (short-term lease) to be able to keep it", says Loan, a free graphic designer -lance, 27 years old, who has lived for four years in a 15m2 apartment in the east of Paris. “My landlord first asked me to leave my home for two months in the summer, without me understanding why”, she continues, ” ;and there I see that the lease expires on July 7, just before the Olympic Games.

Owners risk a fine of 6,000 euros

The young woman will have to leave Paris before looking for new accommodation in September, with the handicap of irregular income when she presents a file: "Obviously, I'm cheating. With variable income depending on the missions, I don't see how I could relocate to Paris.

Accommodations comparable to those of Axel and Loan can cost between 250 and 350 euros per night during the Olympic Games, depending on offers on the Airbnb platform. "If the reason (for leave) turns out to be fraudulent, injured tenants can initiate proceedings to obtain compensation", recalls Sophie Morvan.

"In the event of fraud, the owner is liable to a fine of 6,000 euros". But control proves difficult to put in place because tenants can only provide retrospective proof that the accommodation was recovered for false reasons. Communist senator Ian Brossat tabled a bill in the Senate aimed at making 2024 a year without rental evictions.