policy
Paris Housing Bond Referendum and Its Effect on Rent Subsidies for Local Households
Voters will consider a measure to fund 4,200 new social housing units across six arrondissements using city-issued bonds repaid through existing property tax revenues.
How we reported this
Paris residents in the 11th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 13th and 15th arrondissements will vote in September on a ballot measure that authorizes the city to borrow 420 million euros for new social housing construction. The measure targets households currently on waiting lists managed by the Paris housing authority.
The referendum follows a city council decision in May to place the item on the ballot after petitions gathered more than 25,000 signatures from residents in those districts. City records show average wait times for social housing reached 7.2 years in 2025, with the longest delays recorded in the 18th and 19th arrondissements.
How the measure would reach local households
If approved, the bonds would finance construction of units reserved for households earning less than 60 percent of the median Paris income. Families in the 20th arrondissement near Belleville could see new buildings completed by 2029 under the city planning department timetable. Rent levels would be set at 30 percent of household income, according to the draft ordinance published by the mayor's office.
Residents already in social housing would not see immediate changes to their leases. The new units would instead reduce pressure on the existing stock, which city data list at 245,000 total apartments. Local advocates note that turnover rates in older buildings average 8 percent per year, freeing units for new applicants when construction adds supply.
Next steps after the vote
Ballot results will be certified by the Paris prefecture within 10 days of the September poll. If passed, the first bond issuance is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, with site acquisition beginning in targeted arrondissements the same year. The government says the policy will produce the first completed units by the end of 2029.
Policy analysts say the measure would not alter national housing allocation rules, which remain under the jurisdiction of the national housing ministry. Only city-funded units would fall under the new construction program, leaving existing national programs unchanged for Paris residents.