THE NEW MERCHANTS OF SLEEP | France 2 | Envoyé Spécial

Pay slips, employment contracts, deposits… all the items necessary for renting a property are becoming increasingly rare. So a new former of owner, a little less fussy, is appearing. Individuals with a low income who share their apartments, rent out the attic or even the basement in order to make a little money. In the suburbs of Paris a new phenomenon is emerging: divide and rent. Houses bought for low prices are divided into dozens of studios intended for rent. The pretty exterior of these little houses sometimes conceal hovels: micro-apartments built without authorisation from the city hall or respect for health standards. Uncontrolled constructions in basements rented out to families living in insecurity. We met such dishonest owners. They’re retired people, janitors or civil servants: they are the new merchants of sleep.