Housing Improvement: The COM is introducing financial assistance for low-income homeowners
“I am pleased with this decision,” said President Louis Mussington. He proposed a measure to the members of the Territorial Council, meeting in plenary session on June 5, aimed at helping the residents of Saint Martin renovate and rehabilitate their homes. This measure is part of the Collectivité’s public policy on the private housing stock.
In February, the Collectivité launched a consultation and a pre-operational study on private housing and plans to establish a housing and land observatory early next year. The study’s findings will help define “a structured action plan as well as aid regulations tailored to the territory.”
In the meantime, President Louis Mussington wanted to “take immediate action on the most urgent situations” by implementing “a transitional housing improvement program,” which was proposed to elected officials last week. Specifically, this involves financial assistance from the COM to low-income private homeowners.
In fact, this provision already exists. It was established in May 2008 by the territorial council but has never been used. “I am surprised and shocked that this provision has never been implemented,” said Vice President Alain Richardson. The “transitional measure” proposed by Louis Mussington today is an adaptation of that provision passed eighteen years ago.
The main revision concerns the amount of assistance, with a maximum cap of 10,000 euros, up from the initial 7,000 euros. “Thanks to its flexibility and practicality, this program serves as a tool for immediate intervention, allowing for the resolution of individual situations while contributing to the overall improvement of the private housing stock,” explains the Collectivité. The interventions target housing units with significant safety, health, or decency issues, requiring work to bring them up to code or improve livability.
The COM intends to assist thirty Saint-Martinois over the course of one year (the duration of the program) and has allocated a budget of 300,000 euros for the year 2026 (though this has not yet been included in the budget).
What types of work are eligible?
Eligible work includes, in particular, “structural safety measures; the rehabilitation of utility systems (electricity, plumbing, ventilation); the remediation of unsanitary conditions; and improvements essential for use as a primary residence.”
Who is this program intended for?
The program is primarily intended for:
- owner-occupants in precarious or vulnerable situations;
- specific situations related to land ownership, particularly in cases of joint ownership or lack of formal title, subject to appropriate oversight. In this context, the program may draw, as needed, on the expertise of the GIP Foncier de Saint-Martin, particularly for the analysis of complex land ownership situations (joint ownership, lack of title), with a view to ensuring the security of the interventions.
