What housing assistance for owners?

Of course, you own real estate. However, the end of the month remains difficult. Like many tenants, you would like to benefit from a financial boost in order to reduce your budget while continuing to pay your loan payments. Is there an APL (personalized housing assistance) formula open to owners and if so, under what conditions? The point on the question.

Capital Video: What housing assistance for owners?

Can I benefit from APL while being an owner?

Personalized housing assistance (APL) is financial assistance paid by CAF – the Family Allowance Fund – to the holder of a lease contract as long as they are eligible. The tenant still needs to have submitted an APL request: there is nothing automatic. This housing assistance, the APL, is also accessible to certain categories of owners.

Who is entitled to personalized housing assistance (APL)?

Not everyone has the right to receive APL. There are different categories of eligible people.

Tenants and sub-tenants

First of all, tenants and sub-tenants of housing may be entitled to receive APL, under certain conditions. Indeed, both the rent and the tenant’s income are assessed as “criteria”. They are examined in the light of ceilings allowing the granting of aid. The composition of the household (number of people living in the home) also matters. Finally, housing must meet standards of decency.

Direct payment of APL to the owner-lessor

The owner-lessor can request payment of his tenant’s APL directly into his bank account. The latter then only has to pay the remaining part of the rent. The lessor must make a request to the CAF, by completing form Cerfa n°11362*04. The tenant has the right to object to this direct payment and the owner cannot refuse it.

To note : the owner-landlord cannot claim personalized housing assistance.

Owners under certain conditions

Owner-occupiers can receive the family housing allowance as long as the property loan was signed before February 1, 2018, provided they are eligible for the system. They can also benefit from the APL, but under other conditions. We then speak of accession APL or owner APL.

What are the conditions for receiving the APL Accession or the APL owner?

Have signed a state-assisted loan before January 1, 2020

Previously broader, the Accession APL or proprietary APL is a very restricted system today. In fact, to be able to benefit from it, you must have signed a loan assisted by the State (agreed or social accession), before January 1, 2020. The aid cannot be requested to participate in the financing of a secondary residence: only primary residences are eligible. They must also be located in so-called “3” zone and built in old buildings, new housing being excluded from the system.

Good to know : Zone 3 corresponds to an urban area with a population of less than 100,000 inhabitants. To find the location of your accommodation, you can consult the government’s dedicated search engine.

Do not exceed the resource ceiling

Finally, payment of the APL is conditional on the examination of the resources of the applicant household. In other words, ceilings exist. Thus, eligibility for this APL Accession is very restricted and can only concern a small portion of home owners.

Good to know : Since 2021, APLs have been calculated on the basis of resources from the last 12 months (they were previously calculated on N-2 income).

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How to apply for an APL for an owner?

Given the few eligible situations, there is no online form to complete the process. It is therefore advisable to inquire directly with the competent Family Allowance Fund about the location of the accommodation. This will decide whether or not to create a file following an interview or meeting.

How much is the housing allowance for a landlord?

Calculation criteria

The calculation is carried out by the Family Allowance Fund based on different criteria:

• Property location area
• Income and household composition (parents, number of children, etc.)
• Accommodation characteristics
• Value of heritage
• Amount of the credit maturity repaid monthly.

A variable amount depending on the profiles

The calculation is done using an undisclosed method. Also, it is impossible to predict in advance the amount that will be awarded to the applicant and his family. In addition, the amount of aid may vary over time depending on the re-examination of the applicant’s situation (for example, one must have their situation re-evaluated following a loan repurchase).

Please note that the amount of aid is generally around a hundred euros. This is only an average, so nothing can be said for all situations.

Good to know : the amount of aid is paid directly by the Family Allowance Fund to the bank providing the property loan.

What other aid can an owner receive?

Apart from housing assistance, several schemes aimed at owners make it possible to facilitate access to property or to improve, renovate or adapt their accommodation.

Social Accession Loan (PAS)

The social accession loan (PAS), for example, is intended to encourage access to property for families with modest incomes. This real estate loan is granted to finance the purchase of a main residence or renovation work to improve the property and save energy.

Anah’s helpers

Aid from the National Housing Agency (Anah) aims to encourage the carrying out of energy renovation work in the private housing stock in order to improve the quality of housing and promote access to decent housing for all. Among its devices, we find:

Apart from Anah aid, we can mention the zero-interest eco-loan, a device without means conditions which allows energy renovation work to be financed.