Since January 1st, there has been a new administrative obligation on certain French property owners, requiring them to update their energy performance certificate (DPE) or face financial penalties.
As L’Internaute points out, this measure received little media coverage before it came into effect, but it is felt by everyone who wants to rent or sell a home. At the beginning of the year, many owners had to incur costs to comply with this new rule which will cost them between 100 and 250 euros depending on the size of the property and the professional appointed.
DPE obligation
This obligation specifically concerns DPEs carried out between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2021 which are no longer valid for rental or sale. Thus, owners whose last DPE dates from this period and who are considering a change of tenant or a real estate transaction must have a new diagnosis carried out. On the other hand, current leases or rental renewals do not require updating even if the old DPE is therefore obsolete.
This measure is part of a context of tightening energy requirements, which is attracting the wrath of many owners. For several years, the DPE has classified homes from A to G according to their energy consumption, but it is From 2025, it is prohibited to rent out a G-rated property, a category corresponding to the most energy-intensive energy-strainers. The Internet user points out that “any property labeled G is now prohibited from renting from January 1, 2025”, which impacts approximately 1.8 million homes in France.
If you do not comply with this obligation as a landlord, the penalties are severe: in addition to a fine of up to 1,500 euros, you risk termination of the lease or a rent reduction imposed by the courts. “Some might be tempted to rent without an up-to-date DPE or with a falsified DPE, but the risk is being forced to terminate the lease, have the rent reduced, and even face financial penalties of around 1,500 euros”, our colleagues warn.
At the start of 2025, property owners should therefore be vigilant...
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