Despite a sluggish real estate situation, stone retains a long-term interest in a diversified heritage. If you invest in it, this investment can also have a virtuous impact on the planet and society. Here are our four tips for investing in real estate responsibly.
1. New: bet on Pinel +
Provided you buy new housing in an eligible city before December 31 and rent it without exceeding rent ceilings to tenants subject to means testing, you will benefit from an income tax reduction. To maximize it, opt not for the “simple” Pinel, but for the Pinel +, which involves purchasing from a program with stricter ecological and comfort standards. Concretely, the building must be positive energy and carbon reduction or meet the new RE2020 standard (depending on the date of submission of the building permit) with, in addition, a minimum size per housing typology (for example 28 m² for a studio ) and outdoor space (3 m² minimum for a studio). Only programs located in a City Policy Priority District (QPPV), by nature a little more risky, are exempt from these rules.
If you respect these conditions, “the investment in Pinel + will offer you a tax reduction of respectively 12%, 18% or 21% of the purchase price depending on whether the property is rented for six, nine or twelve years”, specifies Christophe Chaillet, director of heritage engineering at the CCF. Additional advantage: with a very virtuous energy label, the apartment will be easily rented and, at the end of the tax exemption period, will be sold at the high end of the market.
To monitor : pay attention to the budget, because new homes tend to be larger due to the minimum square footage requirement. Also check that the price remains in line with the local market, because “Pinel + programs are 5 to 10% more expensive than those in Pinel simple”, warns Franck Vignaud, director of the Real Estate Laboratory. In addition, the tax savings made fall within the overall cap of 10,000 euros per year.
2. Old: renovate with the Denormandie
Housing with an energy performance diagnosis (DPE) between A and B attracts the best tenants. However, they only represent 5% of the stock. Conversely, energy-intensive goods (classified E, F or G) represent 39% of the stock and are increasingly numerous for sale. Their price is therefore lower and above all… negotiable.
By investing there, you will be able to make a good deal, coupled with tax savings thanks to the Denormandie system. To benefit from it, you must purchase housing to be rehabilitated in an eligible municipality before December 31, 2027 (available here) or a co-ownership in serious difficulty. Then, it must be renovated by a company, the work must represent at least 25% of the total cost, corresponding to the purchase price plus transfer taxes and the cost of rehabilitation. Finally, provided you rent the refurbished property for six, nine or twelve years respectively, the tax reduction will be 12, 18 or 21% of the cost of the operation (with the same constraints as those of Pinel).
Please note: the tax advantage is only granted if the work improves the energy performance of the accommodation by at least 30% (20% in co-ownership); if at least two types of work are implemented in a precise list (insulation, heating replacement, etc.) or if new surfaces (balcony, garage, etc.) are created. Please note that the work package can be supplemented by traditional work (bathroom repairs, painting, etc.) to reach the necessary amount.
To monitor : not all cities eligible for Denormandie are of the same interest. Only invest in those where rental demand is strong. And never minimize your work budget, which often tends to be exceeded by 5 to 10%.
3. Rental: use the Loc’ Advantages
Cruelly lacking in notoriety, the Loc’Avantages system is nevertheless interesting throughout the territory. “It requires renting accommodation below rent ceilings to households subject to means conditions,” explains Pierre Brunet, founder of the wealth management firm Alter-Invest. To access it, the energy label of the home – which you have just purchased or which already belongs to you – must be between A and D and you must sign an agreement with Anah (National Housing Agency) for six years. The lessor chooses his level of agreement: in Loc1, the rent discount is 15% compared to the reference rent, it increases to 30% with Loc2 and 45% with Loc3. In reality, the financial sacrifice is often lower, because the ceilings apply to the weighted surface area of the accommodation, which includes part of the additional surfaces (balconies, cellars, etc.), and not to the Carrez footage.
Then, “the lower the rent, the greater the rate of tax reduction linked to Loc’Avantages”, specifies Caroline Liby-Buffet, director of Appart & Sens, the responsible real estate agency. Additional advantage: unlike other tax exemption schemes, for which the tax advantage is calculated on the price of housing, “with Loc’Avantages, it applies to the amount of property income, the tax reduction therefore increases over time. years, at the same time as the rents,” she adds. Thus, in Loc1, you will be able to deduct from your taxes 15 or 20% of the rents (depending on whether you rent directly or through an intermediary), in Loc2, these rates increase to 35 and 40% and to 65% in Loc3 (rental live is then not authorized).
In addition to this tax boost, a rental intermediation bonus (PIL) is sometimes paid in one go at the agreement. It ranges between 1,000 and 3,000 euros, depending on the rental method, the surface area of the accommodation and the local community.
Last point: there is an “agreement with works” for housing in F and G. Also planned for a period of six years, it is necessary to improve the energy performance of the housing by at least two notches before renting it. . It also offers – in addition to the tax advantages mentioned above – significant subsidies to finance rehabilitation.
To monitor : Loc’Avantages is not profitable to the same degree in all cities. To verify the hypotheses, Anah proposes an online simulator. Please note: the tax advantage is also included in the capping of tax loopholes.
4. Solidarity: invest through a real estate company
If you do not have a sufficient budget to become an owner, buy shares in solidarity property companies for a few thousand euros. Advantage: “there are no entry or exit fees and no management fees”, underlines Bernard Cherlonneix, administrator at Habitat & Humanisme Eure-et-Loir.
Depending on their specialties, these non-profit organizations then use the savings collected to build social housing (Habitat et Humanisme), fight against exclusion (Emmaüs Epargne Solidaire), build medical establishments for seniors (Undertaking to humanize dependency ), help young farmers to set up (Terre de liens or Fermes en vie) or allow tenants to access property (Agora for residents).
This investment yields very little, because no dividend is distributed and you will not be able to realize large capital gains on resale. On the other hand, “solidarity property companies offer a tax reduction which corresponds to 25% of the investment”, explains Lionel Assoun, co-founder of Agora pour l’habitant. An advantage included in the overall capping of tax loopholes.
To monitor : “To benefit from the tax reduction linked to solidarity property companies, you must commit not to resell your shares during the first five years of ownership,” explains Bernard Cherlonneix. This investment must therefore be reserved for the long term.
An article from the special report “Responsible Investments”, published in L’Express on May 30.
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