All you need to know about the solidarity rent reduction (RLS)

The French government has set up a number of schemes to help low-income households rent. While everyone is familiar with social housing and housing subsidies, others are less familiar. This is particularly true of the solidarity rent reduction. Here's what you need to know about the RLS if you're a tenant.

What is the solidarity rent reduction?

The solidarity rent reduction (RLS) is an automatic rent reduction applied by the social landlord. For recipients of the "Aide personnalisée au logement " (APL), the measure is associated with a 98% reduction in the APL. For example, if you benefit from an RLS of 50 euros, your APL will be reduced by 49 euros.

The RLS was introduced in 2018 toease public finances. The government decided to reduce the amount of housing benefit without impacting tenants. It therefore asked social landlords to offset this reduction with an equivalent reduction in rent for certain occupants. The measure was also intended to encourage HLM organizations to rethink their spending.

Who is eligible for the RLS?

The solidarity rent reduction applies only to tenants of subsidized HLM housing or housing managed by a semi-public company, who are entitled to the APL. However, you are not obliged to receive the APL to benefit from the RLS.

The RLS does not apply :

• In hostels;
• In French overseas departments and communities.

In addition, you must comply with the means test. The amount you must not exceed depends on :

• The composition of your household;
• the town where you live.

Here are the ceilings to be respected. The income taken into account is that of the last twelve months (for example, from August^1, 2024 to July 31, 2025 for an application in August 2025).

To find out your zone, you can use this free simulator set up by the French government. For information purposes, please note that :

• Zones 1 and 1 bis correspond to tense and very tense areas (Paris and Île-de-France);
• Zone 2 corresponds to major cities (Toulouse, Marseille, Bordeaux, Annecy, Nantes, Lyon, Rennes, Nice, Montpellier, etc.);
• Zone 3 corresponds to the rest of France (medium-sized towns and rural areas).

How do I get the RLS?

In theory, you don't have to do anything to benefit from the RLS. The RLS is applied automatically by your social landlord. It must appear each month on your receipt. The procedure depends on your situation.

You are a CAF or MSA recipient

The Caisse d'allocations familiales (CAF) or the Mutuelle sociale agricole (MSA) checks your eligibility and calculates the RLS on the basis of the information you have provided. They pass on the amount to the social landlord.

You are not a CAF or MSA recipient

Your social landlord checks your eligibility and calculates the amount of the solidarity rent reduction based on the information you provide in the annual survey for the application of the solidarity rent supplement.

You think you're entitled to the RLS, but it doesn't appear on your rent receipt? Contact your caisse d'allocations familiales or your HLM office to check your entitlement.

How much is the RLS?

The amount of the RLS depends on the composition of your household and the zone where you live. Here is the scale as of June^1, 2025.

The zones are the same as for the resource ceilings.

If you live in a shared apartment, your solidarity rent reduction is set at 75% of the amount applied for a standard lease. So, for a single person sharing a flat in Strasbourg (zone 2), the RLS will be 31.89 euros.

Why has the RLS been reduced?

Since June¹, 2025, the amount of the RLS has been reduced. Its total amount for all beneficiaries has been reduced from 1.3 billion to 1.1 billion for 2025.

This reduction follows a request from social landlords. Indeed, since the creation of the solidarity rent reduction, HLM organizations have felt that this effort has weighed heavily on their finances, preventing them from building new social housing or renovating existing stock. Some even want to go further than the reduction, and are calling for the RLS to disappear.

The scheme has also been called into question by the Cour des Comptes. Since its inception, the Court has called for a simplification of its implementation and an assessment of its impact on social landlords' ability to invest.

In short, the solidarity rent reduction (RLS) is a rent reduction applied by social landlords. It applies to low-income tenants of subsidized HLM housing. It is automatically calculated on the basis of information provided by the landlord or the Caisse d'allocations familiales.