In Paris, nearly one out of five (19%) housing units is unoccupied, that is 262,000 homes, according to the most recent census data. This unoccupied housing includes 9% of vacant housing units and 10% of secondary or occasional residences which are empty for most of the year. Between 2011 and 2020, the proportion of unoccupied housing rose sharply, exacerbating pressure on the housing stock and provoking a decline in the Parisian population.
Since the mid-twentieth century, the major efforts made to build housing in Paris have been nullified by the rise in the level of vacancy. The consequences of this phenomenon are significant: a reduction in the number of available homes for inhabitants, pressure on the price of property and the level of rents, a reduction in the private rental housing stock and a drop in the population particularly in certain districts.
Over the past decade, there has been a renewed rise in this unoccupied housing: the percentage going from 14% in 2011 to 19% in 2020. In central Paris (28%) and in the 6th (30%), 7th (34%) and 8th (36%) districts, about a third of the housing is unoccupied.
This study looks at the 262,000 unoccupied housing units counted in Paris by the 2020 census, in order to analyse in detail the various different situations of non-occupation: rotational vacancy, long term vacancy, occasional housing used for professional reasons, second residences and furnished rentals for tourists.
When did the number of unoccupied housing start to rise? Where are they located? What factors seem to encourage vacant residences? To what extent is this specific to Paris? How can the public authorities combat this phenomenon? Is there a “pool” of unoccupied housing that could be returned to year-round accommodation?
The study provides some answers to these questions as well as lines of thought on how to introduce new public policies to protect not only homes but also their use as main residences.
