Already hot at the end of last week, the Assembly begins this Monday the examination of a sensitive anti-squatting bill, which could be approved with the votes of the deputies of LR and RN, and despite the opposition of the left and the associations .
“Currently a squatter risks a year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros. But the owner who changes the lock risks three years and 45,000 euros”, argues the rapporteur for the text Guillaume Kasbarian, also president of the Economic Affairs Committee.
Reduction in the duration of legal proceedings
His project provides in exchange for the same penalty for anyone who pretends to be a landlord to rent a property. It specifies that the crime of entering the home also affects second homes, and extends the express eviction procedure, without recourse to a judge, to unoccupied homes, empty of furniture.
The text also reduces the duration of legal proceedings, and establishes that certain terms that can be granted by a judge are now only possible if the tenant requests it by himself. “A clear attack on the eviction judge’s office” for the left, which fears a lack of resources for tenants.
The bill also wants to comfort landlords in the face of unpaid bills, once again providing for shortening the procedural deadlines.
Support to the National Rally
In the absence of an absolute majority, the presidential camp should turn to the right for the text to be voted on. “We’ve been making proposals in this direction for a long time,” said Rep. Annie Genevard (LR). In committee, she pushed through an amendment to “assimilate squatting to robbery,” an “essential” provision that she hopes to extend to cases of occupation of premises for economic use.
“The National Rally group approves this bill,” said its deputy Géraldine Grangier in committee. As for the government, if it has supported the text, it could still intervene in the session to balance it.
“We must not react in the same way against illegal occupations, in particular those maintained by slum owners, as against unpaid tenants,” Housing Minister Olivier Klein warned in early November.
Rebel, communist and ecologist deputies are up in arms, although some left-wing overseas deputies support amendments for strong measures abroad.
An “antisocial law”
“This law is a homeless factory,” denounces LFI deputy Danielle Simonnet, whose group intends to present a motion to reject it before the text. Her colleague François Piquemal had criticized a “news” bill in committee, regarding the some “170” expulsion proceedings completed in 2021 mentioned by Guillaume Kasbarian.
“If we kept this kind of reasoning, we would not have done anything against the dream merchants, who are also a minority,” replied the latter.
The Ministry of Housing estimated in 2021 that “squatting is not a massive phenomenon in France”. The Right to Housing (DAL) association held a rally on Sunday against the text that presents “squatters as criminals seeking refuge.” For his part, Attac denounces an “antisocial law” that “criminalizes the precarious.”
“This text will allow evictions in 48 hours, without a judge, of squatters who occupy unoccupied homes,” finally fears Manuel Domergue, of the Abbé Pierre Foundation.
Source: BFM TV
