France belongs to countries in Europe where the share of social housing in the total housing stock is still relatively high. Nevertheless, since 2018, social landlords have been encouraged by the French government to sell a part of their stock in order to increase their equity, and thus to invest in new dwellings. Public housing sale is also seen as a tool to encourage a "social accession to ownership" for households being unable to buy on the private market. But how does it really work? Why do some renters buy their home and others not, in a same residence or district? Do the residential trajectories of new owners conform with the narrative of the so-called "social" accession? To answer this question, a qualitative survey has been provided in the second French agglomeration (Lyon) and its periphery.