Public Housing Offices in France

Updated on Monday 20 May 2019

Created in 2007, the Public Office of Housing (OPH) is a public body that builds and manages low-rent housing (HLM). He succeeds the public office of HLM (OPHLM) and the public office of development and construction (OPAC).

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What are "public housing offices"?

The OPHLMs were public institutions created by decree in the Council of State at the request of a municipality, a group of municipalities, a General Council or a public institution grouping local communities. OPACs were public industrial and commercial establishments.

The law of 13 July 2006 authorized the Government to take the necessary measures for this replacement made by the ordinance of 1 February 2007. Public housing offices are public industrial and commercial establishments. They are attached either to a public institution of intercommunal cooperation competent in the field of housing, or to a department or even to a municipality (if it is not a member of a public institution of intercommunal cooperation competent in habitat).

They have very broad skills, almost identical to the limited companies of Moderate Rent Housing. These are mainly construction and property management operations, land interventions, actions or development operations and services.

The activities of public housing offices are carried out in the territory of the region where the local authority or public establishment to which they are attached is located, but they may also intervene in neighboring departments of this region, after agreement of the municipality of implantation of the operation.