Skip to main content 
Rent control is coming to Bordeaux in 2022
The goal of rent control is to maintain the amount of rents at an acceptable level in cities where the real estate market is tight. This system already concerns several cities: Paris, Lille, Lyon, Saint-Denis, etc. During 2022, Bordeaux will also be affected by this measure. We explain how rent control works and its impact on rentals in Bordeaux.
Rent control in Bordeaux: what does it consist of?
It is article 140 of the Elan law (November 2018) which lays the foundations for the regulation of rents. The principle is as follows:
- Voluntary agglomerations can apply to request the establishment of rent control on an experimental basis. The goal ? Limit the rise in rents.
- Intermunicipalities and volunteer cities can still apply until November 23, 2022.
- If your city's application is successful, rents will be regulated on the basis of a median reference rent. This median rent varies according to the number of rooms in the accommodation, whether the accommodation is furnished or not, depending on the location of the accommodation, its year of construction, etc.
- It is then a prefectural decree which specifies the price range in which the rents must be. To comply with the rent control, the owner must set a rent (excluding charges) between the reference rent reduced by 30% and the reference rent increased by 20%.
During the course of 2022, Montpellier should also apply rent controls. The other cities affected by this measure are:
- Paris, since July 1, 2019;
- Lille, Lomme and Hellemmes, since March 1, 2020;
- the Plaine Commune intermunicipality, since June 1, 2021: Aubervilliers, La Courneuve, Épinay-sur-Seine, L'Île-Saint-Denis, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Saint-Denis, Saint-Ouen, Stains and Villetaneuse;
- Lyon and Villeurbanne, since November 1, 2021;
- the Est Ensemble intercommunality, since December 1, 2021: Bagnolet, Bobigny, Bondy, Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Les Lilas, Montreuil, Noisy-le-Sec, Pantin and Romainville.
- There must be a significant gap between the average level of rent for social housing (HLM) and that of private rental housing (all other housing, pretty much).
- The city's median rent level must be high.
- The rate of housing whose construction has started must be low compared to the proportion of existing housing, over the last 5 years.
- Prospects for multi-year production of housing listed in the city's PLH (Local Housing Program) must be limited.
Are you looking for student accommodation in Bordeaux? Studapart helps you find your future nest!
Key dates in 2022 for rent management in Bordeaux
The bid of the city of Bordeaux was selected to set up rent control (decision of September 2, 2021):
- After analyzing the different areas and districts of Bordeaux, the prefecture will issue a decree which will specify the amount of a median rent for each area, during the second half of 2022.
- For the moment, no precise date has therefore been given, but the rent control should come into force during the summer of 2022 in Bordeaux.
Stéphane Pfeiffer, deputy mayor in charge of public housing and housing, explains that this measure will mainly serve to lower excessively high rents, but that the majority of rents should not be impacted, or little. Remember that this is an experimental measure for the moment, which therefore has an end date (said end date was postponed by 3 years by the 3DS law of February 2022).
Either way, as long as rent controls are in place, your landlord will not be allowed to set rents higher than 20% of the reference rent. So, what is the amount of this famous reference rent in Bordeaux?
For the moment, it has not yet been communicated by the prefecture, but shortly, you will have access to a map, on the Bordeaux Métropole site, which will specify the level of the reference rent for each district.
Good to know: your landlord does not respect the rent control? He risks a fine of €5,000 (or €15,000 if your lessor is a legal person). Before any legal action, you can seize the Departmental Commission of Conciliation. We explain the procedure to you in our article.