OPH of Aisne condemned twice: tenants’ rights flouted

The Aisne Public Housing Office (OPH) is at the heart of a high-profile legal case. Convicted twice, the organization was found guilty of serious breaches of its legal obligations towards a tenant of social housing in Hirson. This case highlights worrying practices, including alleged attempts to manipulate legal expertise.

Indecent housing conditions

The tenant of a social apartment located in Hirson has denounced for several years the serious disorders affecting his accommodation:

Insufficient heating, with unsuitable temperatures, particularly during the winter.

Presence of mold, exacerbated by a lack of natural ventilation and a lack of insulation.

Degraded living conditions, having directly affected the health of the tenant, already vulnerable due to his disability.

These problems have been confirmed by legal expertise and court decisions, revealing that the accommodation did not comply with the standards of decency provided for in Article 6 of the law of July 6, 1989.

Questionable practices during the expert appraisal

During the expert appraisal commissioned by the Amiens Court of Appeal, it was noted that the OPH of Aisne had attempted to distort the results. Indeed, temperature increases had been manually caused by the lessor to manipulate the temperature readings and influence the conclusions of the expert appraisal. These practices, denounced by the tenant’s lawyer, had allegedly contributed to minimizing the housing’s malfunctions.

First conviction for neighborhood disturbances

In 2022, the OPH of Aisne was ordered to pay €2,000 to the tenant for abnormal neighborhood disturbances that had aggravated his state of health. However, despite this decision, no concrete measures were taken to resolve the nuisances, prolonging the damage suffered.

A second conviction for indecent housing

On January 16, 2025, the Amiens Court of Appeal issued a new decision against the OPH of Aisne, recognizing that the housing did not meet decency standards. However, certain major disorders, such as the lack of insulation and the lack of natural ventilation, were not taken into account in the compensation. These elements, revealed by the expert appraisal, nevertheless had a significant impact on the tenant’s living conditions.

Abusive resistance and interminable proceedings

The case dragged on for an exceptional period of seven years, marked by what the courts described as abusive resistance on the part of the OPH of Aisne. This attitude, combined with a distortion of the expert conclusions, caused additional moral harm to the tenant, while delaying the resolution of the problems.

A request for additional compensation for ongoing damages

The tenant, considering that his damages have not been fully compensated, sent a formal notice to the OPH of Aisne to obtain additional compensation. This request amounts to €45,000, distributed as follows:

€15,000 for moral and health damage, aggravated by the unsanitary conditions.

€7,000 for abusive resistance, due to the exceptional length of the procedure.

€5,000 for neighborhood disturbances, not corrected despite an initial conviction.

€3,000 for additional costs related to the landlord’s shortcomings.

€15,000 for the abusive use of his state of health in a previous procedure.

A call for social landlords to be responsible

This case highlights the structural failings of social housing managed by the OPH de l’Aisne. According to a report by the Court of Auditors, a significant proportion of these homes do not meet current standards of decency and will have to be brought into compliance by 2028 or they will become unrentable.

For tenants, these failings are not without consequences. Structural problems such as poor ventilation or lack of insulation directly impact their health and quality of life. This case illustrates the importance of ensuring rigorous monitoring of the obligations of social landlords and a response tailored to the rights of the most vulnerable.

Conclusion: an emblematic case

The double conviction of the OPH of Aisne, as well as the tenant’s request for additional compensation, underline the need to hold social landlords accountable and to guarantee housing conditions that comply with the law. This case could encourage other tenants facing similar situations to assert their rights and seek justice.

#SocialHousing #TenantRights #JusticeForAll #LivingConditions #SocialLandlords #IndecentHousing #AbusiveResistance #UnfitHousing #RentalJustice #TenantDefense #FightAgainstInsalubrity #DisabilityRights #HousingDecency #EnergyTransition #CourtNews #Tribunal #RentalCase #HumanRights