A gentle reminder that mandatory ‘audits énergétiques’ are required for the sale of properties that are (DPE) rated F or G from 1 April. The audit is intended to include the approximate costs of upgrading the properties to meet energy improvement standards etc…The audit is intended for sharing with potential buyers. E rated properties become liable for the audit from 1 January 2025, and D properties from 2034…
Here is an English translation for convenience…
Or in French…
Is there a bit of a catch 22 there? How do you know if you’re rated F, G, E or D if you haven’t had an audit?
I sold my house without a diagnostic rating because it was mid summer, no heating on,no cold weather outside to test the double glazing and because the official diagnostic was to be done once someone had shown enough interest to put an offer in which happened four days later and then the official diagnostic was done but no actual measurements or readings could be taken, only a description of all the insulation and glazing. This diagnostic has a short lifespan for the €900 I paid for it too so vendors are waiting until they have a firm offer first.
You have to get the basic diagnostic assessment to put place on market, and then if the rating is poor have to do the audit. Different things.
We put our property on the market (through an agent) last month, several viewings, some second viewings also. We’ve had the DPE carried out (€400) and were informed only on Friday that we will now need the ‘Climat et résilience’ report, an additional €1000 if you please!!! No mention of this coming into force on 1.4.23 at initial meeting with agent. Our property is in band G , despite lots of work on our part to improve on the last DPE (F) we had in 2011 (all new UPVC double glazing, insulation etc in shower room / cloakroom etc.) after several phone calls, emails we have decided to put the report on hold until we receive a firm offer. I think this is going to cause a lot of problems for both vendors and buyers alike.
Very very pleased we managed to complete our sale early march🙂
Ahh, I didn’t see that option. How do you book one of those and how much does it cost.
What do they suggest you do to get an upgrade, any info yet?
@Corona We won’t know until we have the ‘eye watering’ €1000 survey carried out!! Something of a ‘catch 22’ situation… the agent did suggest however in order to get around this is to show there is no fixed form of heating in the property. A local heating engineer (at a cost of €100) to disconnet the boiler and taking out the log burner ourselves and then the agent will return to take photos of the gaping hole in fireplace (they suggested logs and dried flowers in its place) give me strength!!! Then any purchaser could then put the log burner back in situ and reconnect the boiler, this is a way round avoiding the €1000 survey. I can’t envisage how this would attract any serious buyers. Sweet Jesus!!
Maybe do as I did and pay for the report out of the sale proceeds once you have a buyer and is ready to sign the compromis. I used a notaire to sell who dealt with all the diagnostic stuff and getting an agreement with them for me to pay once the house was sold. Obviously this was pre this new survey you mention but even the normal diagnostic has a limited shelf life and is not done untilprior to signing the compromis or just after if the buyers are serious enough.
In the UK, some house builders get around these things by installing a heat pump, double glazing and 300mm of loft insulation, doesnt mean it effective but compliance gets them a pass. Daft.
Well if this new inspection and report is anything like the obligatory sale diagnostic one, I doubt it would work. The technician spent over three hours on my house with a very fine tooth comb checking evrything that was checkable and then the typed report was the size of a novel. This is likely to be the same and with no pulling the wool over the eyes of the inspector.
Legally I believe now the DPE report has to be prepared before the place goes on the market. And (for a small extra fee of course) can be updated after 6 months.
Why? After a low grade energy performance report a more indepth and detailed report on what work would be required to reach the required standard. Same is happening in the UK with PAS 2030 and EnerPHit standards. Better that than some salesman fooling people into buy stuff that wont really improve things.
A DPE greater than F means you can’t sign a Compromis until the audit is carried out so I’d suggest Dawnt gets it done now, a prospective buyer will then know what work they need to do to make the house more energy efficient so will have factored that into any offer they make. If she leaves it until she gets an offer then there is a high chance the outcome of the audit will either put the buyer off or lead to the buyer asking for a price reduction.
I have an old Paris apartment that’s rented (newly renovated). The old tenant left, and I was able to get a new one just before the new rules came into play, but once they leave it’s going to cause a headache.
The apartment is approximately 140 years old, and like most Paris buildings it falls into a category of G, despite it has the latest radiators, the latest A rated electric heating, double glazed windows etc… They don’t seem to count for much. You can’t add a heat pump in an old part of the city, nor solar panels, so the only thing left is interior insulation, but then I guess you kiss goodbye to the old wood panelling, original corniches and lose a bit more floor space, where every m2 counts.
The agency that manages the building has proposed exterior insulation on two walls, and got a quote for it. It’s very expensive, so I don’t think the other owners are going to vote for it, but if they don’t, and I get all four walls insulated on the interior, I could find myself in a situation where in the future they will add exterior insulation, when it would no longer be needed.
I don’t know how other owners are dealing with it in the cities, but given France is full of old buildings, they have created a problem. I believe quite a few people simply sold off their properties.
It is all one big cock up.
Our house is probably rated D. Based on our sq mètres it would (according to somebody’s figures) cost about 3000 euros a year to heat. Anyone advertising their house for sale needs to declare the estimated heating costs. You see it on house advertisements.
We spend about 900 euros to heat the house. We have the bills to prove it.
So yeah, if you want to buy and live in my house wearing a bikini in the winter it will cost about 3000 euros a year to heat. For normal people, it will cost 900 euros.
I’m not worried.
Not really, its about reducing the energy consumption, whilst it maybe an inconvenience properly insulated and draft proofed buildings, millions of them will collectively reduce the energy requirements.
except that about 80% of the housing stock is old and the retro fit is very expensive even if its possible.So who pays for that.
Yup, we sold our 1930’s Paris flat last year. Decided that we would never live there again, so not worth renovating. Shame, as all original features including the mezuzah which we kept in memory of the family that lived their in WWII and were carted off to the camps. DPE doesn’t pay any attention to historic feature so I imagine that drafty door frame has now gone.