What Is ?Decent Housing? in France? | Paris Rental Blog - Paris ...

In December 2000, a French law established what makes a residence ?decent? in the case of a furnished or an unfurnished rental: ?a residence is considered to be fit when it presents no health or security risk to the tenant(s).

In order to be called decent, a lodging must satisfy the following characteristics:

• Main room measuring at least 9m² (97 sq. ft.), with a minimum ceiling height of 2.20m, resulting in a volume of at least 20m³ (approx. 706 cubic feet).
• Living room and bedrooms that have a natural light source and access to fresh air.
• Kitchen equipped with: ?1)?a power source/supply (either gas or electric) with electrical outlets adapted for a stove or hot plate without risk of overheating or fire; 2)?a sink with running water (both hot and cold); and 3)?proper ventilation with an air vent to avoid risk of poisoning from gaseous fumes, for example.
• Bathroom (adequately sheltered for privacy) equipped with either a shower or bathtub with running water (both hot and cold) and a drain.
• WC or toilet within the residence and separate from the kitchen.

Exception: ?In a residence consisting of a single room (a ?chambre de bonne?, for example), the toilet can be outside of the room (shared) as long as it?s located within the same building and on the same floor (or the floor just below).

• Electric lighting in all rooms and hallways
• Electricity and gas networks, where heating elements and hot water production conform to security standards and are in proper working order
• Drinkable water with sufficient flow
• A system to evacuate household water, and water valves equipped with traps to suppress odors
• Devices for ventilation to refresh the air
• Building materials, pipes, and recoverings free of health risks (absence of asbestos and non-reachable lead)
• Secure guard railings for windows and balconies
• Roof and exterior joint work which protect the residence from seepage

This decency requirement is applicable to all current leases, not only those signed after the SRU law* was passed.

If the conditions for a decent residence are not respected, the renter can demand from the owner the required work to bring it up to code.? In the absence of an agreement between the parties, the renter can contact the Commission de Conciliation for his or her city with an Expert Report in hand or pictures showing the deterioration. ?Failing amicable agreement, the renter can take the matter and the owner to small claims court.? The judge will determine the nature of the work to be carried out and the time limit to do so.

Here are a few examples of ?undecent? conditions in an apartment or dwelling : lead-ridden and flaking wall paint, damaged water (or gas) pipes, bared electric wires, split electrical outlets,? no ground-wire outlets for kitchen stove, signs of humidity or moldiness, lack of ventilation in the bathroom, poor or deficient heating, contaminated drinking water, a roof which is not watertight, poor or deficient insulation, loose guard railing.

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* SRU law (Solidarit? Renouvellement Urbain), 13 December 2000.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2012 at 2:09 pm and is filed under Renting an Apartment in Paris. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.parisrental.com/blog/apartment-rental-in-paris/what-is-decent-housing-in-france/

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