Paris flat was just 6m²

PARIS landlords are in hot water for renting out a flat just 6m², two-thirds of the minimum legal surface area.

They were exposed after taking the tenant to court to reclaim four months of unpaid rent – but a court expert found the flat, in the 17th arrondissement near parc Monceau, was too small for “human dignity” and “liable to cause harm to health”.

Lawyer Aurélie Geoffroy, for the tenant, said the landlords’ complaint about unpaid €410/month rent was like a drug dealer complaining an addict had not paid for drugs.

She asked the court to reject the case and award €20,000 damages.

The landlords’ lawyer, meanwhile says they thought the space measured at least the legal minimum 9m² - and wondered if “the tenant didn’t pile up his belongings in a way that made the flat look smaller to the experts”.

The court is to rule by October 28.