IPP Policy Brief n°18
June 2015
Authors : Antoine Bozio, Gabrielle Fack, Julien Grenet, Malka Guillot, Marion Monnet, Lucile Romanello
Contacts: antoine.bozio@ipp.eu, julien.grenet@ipp.eu
…………………………
Reforming French housing benefits: why not merging benefits ?
Pour télécharger la version française, cliquez sur ce lien.
………………………….
Summary :
Involving 18 billion euros in public expenditure, individual housing benefits represent almost half of the budget for housing policies in France. The effectiveness of this aid has, however, been called into question by a series of empirical studies showing that the greater part of it is appropriated by landlords in the form of higher rents. In addition, this aid strongly penalises the return to work in modest households because it is badly coordinated with other social benefits. To respond to these criticisms, the Institute for Public Policy studied several reform scenarios aimed at restoring the effectiveness of this social policy. The most promising option consists of combining individual housing benefit with other measures of household benefit, in particular the Revenu de solidarité active (RSA – low-income benefit) and the Prime pour l’emploi (PPE – employment bonus). Such a reform would considerably simplify the complex architecture of social benefits, reduce the gains made from the public aid by landlords and preserve the gains made by a return to paid work.
Key points :
- Individual housing benefits, which rose to 18 billion euros in 2013, represents 43% of the French housing policy budget.
- Several studies have shown that this benefit feeds increases in rents and is thus largely captured by landlords.
- The current system of individual housing benefit is complex and penalises a return to work among modest households.
- The merging of housing benefit with other social policies, notably the Revenu de solidarité active and the Prime pour l’emploi would simplify the socio-fiscal system, reduce the gains being made by landlords and preserve the gains to be made from a return to paid employment.
Additional material :
- Rapport IPP n°10, June 2015: “Réformer les aides personnelles au logement”
- Opuscule Cepremap / IPP (n°38): “Les allocations logement. Comment les réformer ?”
Press articles (in French):
- Localtis.info, July 2015, 1st: “L’Institut des politiques publiques propose de fusionner les aides au logement avec le RSA et la PPE”, by Jean-Noël Escudié
- Toutsurlimmobilier, June 2015, 24th: “APL, RSA, PPE : un rapport préconise la fusion des prestations sociales”, by Thibault Fingonnet
- Atlantico, June 2015, 23rd: “Aides au logement : un rapport estime qu’il faut une refonte totale”
- BFM-TV (La Vie Immo), June 2015, 23rd: “Réforme des APL : une autre piste sur la table”
- L’Opinion, June 2015, 22nd: “Nouveaux scénarios pour réformer les aides au logement”, by Raphaël Legendre
- Le Monde, June 2015, 22nd: “Des économistes proposent une refonte globale de l’allocation logement”, by Isabelle Rey-Lefebvre
- Le Figaro, June 2015, 22nd: “Un rapport prône une refonte complète des aides au logement”, by Marie Bartnik
- Challenges, June 2015, 19th: “APL : ce projet de réforme radicale qui ne devrait pas plaire”, by David Bensoussan
Ce message est également disponible en : 
French