Insee Première · July 2025 · n° 2064

A quarter of households live in significantly under-occupied housing

A quarter of households live in a primary residence considered to be significantly under-occupied. These are most often single houses that have been occupied for a long time by older homeowners whose children no longer live at home. The rate of significant under-occupation reaches 41% for single houses.

It changes considerably across France, mainly depending on the proportion of large dwellings. Under-occupation is highest in western region Brittany. Île-de-France, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Corsica, and the overseas departments have the lowest number of under-occupied dwellings. Overall, the outskirts of urban areas have more widely under-occupied accommodation than the urban centres.

Significant under-occupation has been increasing over the past twenty years, along with the aging of the population. Residents of under-occupied dwellings are generally satisfied with their housing conditions, and only a minority deem their homes to be too large. Very few express a desire to move.