Given the accelerated decline in the number of announcements, it is likely that at the start of the school year tens of thousands of students will not find accommodation and find themselves on the street,” worried Jacques Baudrier, deputy (PCF) to the Mayor of Paris in charge of housing, who launched a “cry of alarm” in the face of “state inaction”.
Increase in “unoccupied” housing
At issue: a growing proportion of “unoccupied” housing, that is to say used as a second home or vacant, which represents nearly 20% of the Parisian stock. According to the latest figures from the Paris Urban Planning Agency (Apur), more than 262,000 homes were unoccupied in the capital in 2020, and the elected official anticipates that there will be 290,000 in 2024.
“By 2026-2027, Paris risks becoming a pied-à-terre city with more empty housing than rental housing,” commented Jacques Baudrier, specifying that the supply of advertisements has been divided more half compared to 2019. However, 70 and 80% of unoccupied accommodation are small spaces – studios or small two-room apartments – which is “exactly what is needed for students”, he argued.
Some 392,230 students were enrolled at the Paris Academy in 2022-2023, or 36% more than in 2001-2002. The vast majority of them are housed in the private park.