Waiting for a home: Monaco promises its citizens more state housing – and a new allocation system
In the world's richest micro-state, many locals wait years for an affordable home. At the latest allocation round, fewer than half of the applications were met. Now the government is raising its target and overhauling the allocation process from November.
What happened
Monegasque nationals are entitled to state-owned housing (logement domanial) at affordable rents – prices on Monaco's private market are out of reach for many. According to Monaco Hebdo, the latest allocation committee awarded 146 flats for 349 eligible applications. Minister of State Christophe Mirmand himself told parliament that this rate was unsatisfactory. He set the goal of housing at least three out of four Monegasques in state flats by 2040; in 2022 the share was 61.9 percent. The government's original target had been 65 percent.
The road there is long: according to Monaco Hebdo, not a single new flat will be completed in 2027 – a "blank year". The large Bel Air project with 223 flats is due to deliver its first tower in January 2028, with further buildings following until 2032. In the short term, 200 vacant flats are to be renovated and re-let within twelve months instead of the previous three years, with 6 million euros earmarked in 2026. For 2027, 281 million euros are budgeted for housing.
At the same time, the procedure is changing: as Radio Monaco reports, from November 2026 applications can be filed online at any time instead of just once a year. An online catalogue shows photos, floor, rent and location of available flats; applicants rank them by preference, and no flat is allocated unless the applicant has selected it beforehand. Two allocation rounds are planned for 2027 and three from 2028.
The mood on the ground
How stressful the wait is became clear during the parliamentary debate of October 13, which Monaco Hebdo covered in detail on October 26. The chair of the housing committee described three cases: a young woman who moved back in with her mother after returning from the US, a divorced father still living with his ex-wife, and a 23-year-old living abroad who is applying for the third time. Another councillor called for families to be able to move into a larger flat before a child is born.
The elected representatives' reactions are cautiously positive. Council president Thomas Brezzo thanked the government for raising the target from 65 to 75 percent. Vice-president Jean-Louis Grinda spoke of significant progress but made clear that parliament would judge the government by its actions. The Minister of State promised to explain any delays.
The sources contain no direct voices from applicants and no public surveys. Radio Monaco relies solely on the official presentation of the reform and stresses modernisation and closeness to families' needs; Monaco Hebdo conveys the mood mainly through councillors pressing on behalf of waiting families.
Voices from the media
Sources
This article was rewritten from local-language sources. Every statement about the mood is based on the linked reports.