2.2 / Paris

With Vonovia to Paris. In 2019, railway flats were also sold in France. The French railway flats were bought by Vonovia and CDC Habitat, two housing groups of roughly equal size -- which have been linked by a partnership agreement since 2017. CDC Habitat is a public company, but President Macron has instructed it to act like a private, profit-oriented group. The joint company with Vonovia is to become a pioneer in the private housing sector in France. However, the non-profit status of the housing sector still applies here. Rolf Buch is sure that this hurdle will soon be cleared.

Christophe Cariven and his wife Antoine work for the SNCF and have lived in a beautiful four-room flat for 17 years. They weren’t aware of the sale to a real estate group until the scaffolding went up. Now new windows are being installed. The Carivens haven’t had a rent increase for 17 years. Now they have received a letter telling them to accept either a graded rent contract with an overall 15.2% increase until 2026 or 10.3% on the current rent. A neighbour is trying to get them to join the tenants' association (CNL). If enough people joined, they could sue.

Only tourists

Avenue du Maine in Paris Montparnasse. When it gets dark, there are only lights to be seen in isolated flats. Flora Laconie, a judge, has lived here since birth and in her childhood saw artists like Salvatore Dali and Picasso in the neighbourhood. Local life flourished until the 1970s. But now only two flats in the judge's house are permanently occupied. All the others are temporarily occupied by wealthy tourists. Who also populate the former local pub Le Petit Sommelier. The cook and waiter have long lived in one of the still affordable suburbs, they come in the morning and disappear at night.