In Montpellier, the search for housing has become a real obstacle course for young people. Prices are soaring, demand far exceeds supply, and yet everyone is ready to fight to get a roof over their head. Whether through atypical leases, overcrowded shared accommodations or even sometimes difficult compromises, these young adults demonstrate unprecedented resilience and determination in the face of an increasingly complex real estate reality. But why do these young people, full of promise, find themselves sacrificing so much time, energy, even comfort, simply to feel at home? Let’s dive into the heart of this problem to understand the motivations that push them to do everything to access housing which, however, should be a fundamental right.
An offer that does not follow demand
“All my belongings have been rented“, declares Carlos Montoro, manager of a real estate agency in Montpellier. And yet, students continue to arrive every day. This observation is common to all agencies in the region. The moment a few apartments become available, they are immediately overwhelmed by dozens of files François Latouche, director at Human Immobilier, observes, “We entered an apartment yesterday and in one morning we already had around ten people with a good application who were interested.“.
Young people face painful choices
The consequence of this crisis is visible in the daily lives of young people. LĂ©o, 23, shares his dismay: “I had to sleep several nights in my car“. Despite his permanent contract in Saint-Jean-de-VĂ©das, he cannot find accommodation. For the moment, he is accommodated at his girlfriend’s parents’ house, Coline, herself an LLCER license student at Paul ValĂ©ry University. To get around this difficulty, they decided to move in together.
“At first, I helped him search, explains Coline, but we ended up saying we were going to move in together. It will be easier for me to no longer have to go back and forth and he will have a better chance of finding a home.” she says. LĂ©o deplores having to adopt strategies so complex for something as basic as housing.
The effects on studies and work
Hassan, an Algerian master’s student, hoped to start a thesis this year. However, after six months of fruitless searching, he had to abandon his academic projects to concentrate on finding a job, while looking for accommodation. “I ended up failing university applications“, he regrets. His objective now is to find a certain stability in order to resume his studies in 2025.
Pressure from the real estate market
Real estate professionals are well aware of this situation. “We almost feel ashamed!” says Christian, a real estate agent in Montpellier. Faced with the despair of young people, solutions are lacking. According to the Lodgis agency barometer in 2023, rental tension has increased throughout France, with a 20% decrease in furnished properties while requests have increased by 18%. Montpellier is one of the cities where this pressure is the strongest, particularly for T1 type housing.
Why does this situation persist?
Several factors contribute to this state of crisis. First of all, Montpellier’s reputation, both as an attractive university center and a sunny city, attracts young people from all over France and abroad. Then, real estate investments focus on other types of housing, often intended for wealthier categories.
For young people, this involves adopting increasingly creative (or desperate) solutions to find a roof over their heads,” concludes Élodie, a journalist specializing in urban planning and social issues.