Legal News

Short guide for union councils

In a co-ownership, the union council's mission is to act as a link between the co-owners and the trustee. While its role is fairly simple to state – assist, monitor, relay – it is, however, more difficult to exercise on a daily basis.

If you are a newly elected member of a union council, you will quickly notice: a disaster occurs and three quotes arrive, each one incomparable; a roof leak reappears despite costly interventions; unpaid charges accumulate and the budget suffers; the minutes of the general meeting (GM) do not always faithfully reflect the decisions. In these moments, you must know what to ask, from whom, in what forms and with what legal basis, without however replacing the trustee.

This short guide provides you with concrete benchmarks to help you carry out your mission calmly and effectively. It explains the role and composition of the board, the missions to be carried out, the powers and limits to be respected, as well as immediately applicable best practices.

The objective is to help you secure decisions, control costs and streamline life in the building.

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Simplification of urban planning law: what the Huwart bill could change

The housing crisis and the accumulation of regulations have put pressure on the entire planning chain: local authorities, operators, landlords, and individuals. In this context, the bill introduced by MP Harold Huwart aims to do nothing less than "unblock" planning law and accelerate production in the housing sector.

After an initial adoption in the National Assembly (May 15, 2025) and then in the Senate (June 17, 2025), an agreement was reached in the joint committee (July 3, 2025) and the compromise version was adopted by the Senate on July 9, 2025. At the time of writing, the final vote in the Assembly is still awaited.

Beyond the timetable, the intention is clear: to streamline procedures, reduce delays, and give territories operational leeway. The text is part of a broader sequence of reforms affecting urban planning and housing, against a backdrop of falling construction starts and pressing needs (nearly 2.5 million households waiting for social housing).

The approach is intended to be pragmatic: correcting the legal blockages identified and equipping communities to relaunch blocked projects.

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Structural diagnosis of multi-unit buildings: instructions for condominiums and project owners

It was highly anticipated in the construction sector. Decree No. 2025-814 of August 12, 2025 is now in force.

It clarifies the outlines of the mandatory structural diagnosis in certain sectors delimited by the municipalities. Who is affected, at what rate, by whom, and with what deliverables? What changes should be made regarding the possibility of replacing this diagnosis with a draft multi-year work plan (PPPT) in co-ownership?

With this new decree, municipalities can delimit areas where collective buildings must carry out a structural diagnosis. The deliberation is annexed to the PLU within three months and notified to the owners or trustees. From this notification, the interested parties will have 18 months to submit the report to the municipality.

In co-ownership, the PPPT prepared by a professional meeting the same skill and insurance requirements can serve as a diagnostic. In the event of a deficiency, the mayor can have the diagnostic carried out automatically at the owners' expense.

In this article, we take stock of the developments in the mandatory structural diagnosis.

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