For 2 years, she has been forbidden to return home because her neighbor's house is in danger of collapsing

Here is a story to sleep tall. For two years, Muriel has not been able to enter her house located in Bonson in the Var because it is next to that of her neighbor who is threatening to collapse.

Credit: Muriel Delavaine

It all started at the beginning of October 2020, when storm Alex swept south-east France very hard, and in particular the Roya valley where torrential rains left a very heavy human toll with 10 dead and 8 missing but also 70 towns classified in state. of natural disaster. In total, the authorities count around 480 buildings that have been seriously damaged or even completely destroyed. Added to this is the enormous damage to roads and infrastructure.

As you will have understood, the village of Bonson is one of the areas affected by the storm Alex. So much so that even today, Muriel still cannot enjoy her house even though it has resisted the bad weather particularly well despite their violence. The reason ? It is located below a building, whose walls are cracked, which threatens to collapse. Initially, the evacuation of Muriel was to be temporary while a solution was found, but it is clear that the situation is getting bogged down.

To wait, Muriel was first rehoused in an Airbnb paid for by the town hall, before moving into municipal housing that had just become available. But that doesn't solve the problem. Not only does she not feel at home, but she also continues to repay the loan of a house that she does not benefit from. She explains : “I bought my house in 2005 and I only had 3 years of credit left to pay. It's a lifetime of work. You get up every morning to pay your mortgage and you tell yourself that in 3 years you will no longer have a loan and in fact you have to leave your house. It was a little paradise, with no vis-à-vis and eagles flying below”.

Credit: Muriel Delavaine

For many months already, Muriel and the mayor of Bonson have been coming up against an administrative and legal mishmash that gives a headache. Indeed, the municipal team is unable to contact the owner of the ruined house. According to our colleagues from Figaro, it would be a German national who bought the property 30 years ago in the form of a Monegasque civil real estate company (SCI). The municipality therefore had to take responsibility for the most urgent works: 'the house is swaddled, covered with an iron net, and sensors have been installed to constantly monitor its movements' I explained Jean-Claude Martin, le maire de Bonson.

At the time you read his lines, the work has already cost the modest sum of 276,000 euros (including 10,000 euros in lawyer's and bailiff's fees), i.e. a large part of the municipality's annual budget. “The town hall pays for this work out of its personal treasury. But 277,000 euros is a third of our operating budget, which amounts to 900,000€. As it is a private property, we do not receive any subsidy from the State or the Department or the Region” confided Jean-Claude Martin. And he adds: “The senator from Alpes-Maritimes will ask if the State can take over in the event of default by the owner. It is not normal for a small town of 800 inhabitants like ours to pay such a sum without state aid”.

Credit: Muriel Delavaine

Expensive and illegal demolition

In addition to the 280,000 euros already spent so far, the town hall pays each month around 1000 euros for the sensors installed on the home . A priori, the quickest solution to allow Muriel to find her haven of peace by leaving all these bad memories behind would be to raze the ruin, but unfortunately things are not that simple. And for good reason, beyond the fact that the very substantial cost of the operation (around 450,000 euros) would place the municipality in a delicate financial position, the owner could reappear, turn against the town hall and ask for compensation.

No one knows when this incredible story, but we hope for Muriel that her ordeal will end quickly!

Credit: Muriel Delavaine

Credit: Muriel Delavaine