A new study identifies those communes where the percentage number of long-term empty homes is highest, in some cases over 20% of the housing stock.
We have previously reported in these pages on the high number of vacant homes in France, around 2.8 million, equivalent to 8% of the housing stock.
The vacancy rate has risen steadily since the late 1990s (6.9% in 1999 and 7.2% in 2010) ending a continuous decline during the 1980s and 1990s (7.6% in 1982 and 7.2% in 1990).
In their latest study of the housing stock, INSEE, the French national statistical office, report a further increase in the number of vacant homes in mainland France to 2.96 million, or 8.2% of the housing stock. The figures are derived from a 2018 population census, supplemented by subsequent local census studies and local property rates information.