Insee Première · January 2026 · n° 2090

Housing conditions in early 2024: tenants were worse off than homeowners

In 2024, most couples in France were homeowners. Single‑parent families were more likely to be tenants in social housing (36%, compared to 17% of all households). People under 65 living alone were also more likely to be tenants, but in private housing (42% compared to 23% of all households).

Homeowners had larger homes on average than tenants, whether they lived in a house or an apartment.

9.0% of households lived in an overcrowded housing. Couples with three or more children, young people and tenants were more affected.

One-third of households reported having difficulty heating their homes and one‑quarter reported having difficulty cooling them in the summer. Tenants reported defects in their homes more often than homeowners. One‑third of tenants considered their homes to be too expensive.

Nearly one-quarter of households had moved into their current home less than four years earlier. Among them, one‑third had purchased their home. Young households were the most mobile.