The new 2026 budget law authorizes cities with high demand to nearly double the tax on vacant homes. Paris will implement the measure from 2027 to recover 20,000 apartments. The plan follows the example of Brussels and New York, which already apply fiscal pressure on owners of empty properties.
How fiscal technology maps the idle housing stock 🗺️
City councils use geographic information systems and cross-referencing of electricity and water consumption data to detect empty apartments. Paris has developed an algorithm that identifies properties without activity for more than a year. This tool allows the tax surcharge to be applied automatically, avoiding manual errors and speeding up notifications to owners.
The drama of owning an empty apartment and paying as if it were a mansion 😅
Some owners complain that the City Council charges them almost double for not renting. But of course, having an apartment waiting for the neighborhood's value to rise is a luxury that now comes with a suite price at the Ritz. The irony is that some owners prefer to pay the fine rather than share their treasure with a tenant.