Make sure your rental property makes the grade for energy efficiency!

Amidst the many new situations thrown up by the pandemic – and Brexit too, for UK expats – there’s a chance that you might overlook new rules coming into play on les diagnostics for rental properties.

In France, energy performance certificates are called Diagnostic de performance énergétique, or DPE – they are comparable to EPC in the UK and referred to in French as “les diagnostics”. You are required by law to produce them when your property is sold, and if you rent out a property you must include the DPE on the advert (you will need to pay for a DPE report if you don’t have one).

But such landlords should be aware that rules around DPEs are being redefined, and will change on July 1, 2021. It’s one of the first steps placing more stringent conditions on rented accommodation that will be phased in with deadlines of 1 January 2025, and then 1 January 2028. So what should you know? From July 2021, a tenant in a rented property will be able to go to court to demand work if the DPE on their property is not of the expected threshold.

The existing types of DPE look at energy consumption, through bills (for pre-1949 homes); whilst for homes built after this date, the 3CL method (calculation of conventional consumption of housing) is used, which takes into account the thickness of the walls and the type of windows -are they double glazed, etc.

Make sure your property is compliant to avoid any unexpected legal issues. You can read this article here (French).