Paris housing crisis deepens as 300,000 homes sit empty amid soaring rents
Paris faces a worsening housing crisis, with thousands left without shelter while properties stand empty. Around 4,000 people now sleep in tents or makeshift shelters along the city’s highways. Meanwhile, rents have soared, with even a modest two-room apartment costing roughly €2,000 in every district. A four-story building at 69 Rue de Sèvres has remained abandoned for at least 18 years. In 2008, eight students occupied the empty property, offering to pay rent, but the owner refused. Police later evicted them, and a court fined the squatters—despite the building staying vacant.
The owner eventually died, and the property was sold to a religious congregation. After renovations, they plan to rent out eight apartments. However, only one will be set aside as social housing, despite earlier promises to city officials. Newly elected mayor Emmanuel Grégoire has highlighted the scale of the problem, noting that Paris has 300,000 vacant homes. To tackle this, the city will double the vacancy tax on habitable but unoccupied properties starting in 2027. The goal is to push landlords to rent out their empty units, adding 20,000 more homes to the market.
The housing shortage in Paris remains severe, with high rents and thousands living without shelter. The city’s new tax policy aims to reduce vacancies, but its impact will depend on landlords’ willingness to rent. For now, abandoned buildings like the one on Rue de Sèvres stand as symbols of the crisis.
