Rental and eviction: a question of social connections?
Renting an apartment is not always an easy task. Between providing the numerous necessary documents and navigating a competitive rental market, finding a home sometimes becomes a matter of social connections and knowing the right person. It is possible that this problem is linked to the cumbersome legal proceedings necessary for eviction in the case of non-payment of rent by tenants. Eviction procedures can be long and extremely costly, particularly in countries where people have strong ties with family and friends, such as in southern Europe. This correlation is subject to analysis by Antoine Bonleu.
In 2013, according to INSEE (The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies), 50% of households from North Africa were tenants in the social sector, against 15% for households who had not experienced migration.
In OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries where individuals have strong social relationships – be they with family, friends, or neighbours – it takes longer to evict a tenant than in other countries, and the question is, is there is a link between the two?
