Buying a house rated F or G on the DPE: what does it change?
If you live in it yourself, nothing requires you to renovate a house rated F or G. The rules concern letting: since 1 January 2025 a G-rated home is no longer 'decent' for a new lease, F follows on 1 January 2028 and E on 1 January 2034, and rents for F and G homes have been frozen since August 2022. On sale, the seller of a house rated E, F or G must provide an energy audit that costs the works.
What F or G means
The energy performance diagnostic (DPE) rates a home from A to G by its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions; the worse of the two labels prevails. F and G homes are called energy sieves (passoires). Their listings must carry the words 'logement à consommation énergétique excessive' (home with excessive energy consumption).
Energy-inefficient homes commune by commune
A house price is read together with other figures, such as notary fees in 2026 and property tax before buying. You can work out the purchase costs for free with the free notary fees calculator. You can estimate a house’s property tax with the property tax calculator.
The timetable for letting
| Date | Minimum class for a decent home |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2025 | F (G excluded) |
| 1 January 2028 | E (F excluded) |
| 1 January 2034 | D (E excluded) |
These thresholds apply to leases signed, renewed or tacitly extended after each date, in mainland France. Since 24 August 2022 the rent of an F or G home cannot rise, either between tenants or at the annual review. If you are buying to let, these rules weigh directly on the return: cost the works before you sign.
The energy audit on sale
The seller of a detached house, or of a building they own outright, rated E, F or G must provide an energy audit; the obligation will extend to class D on 1 January 2034. The audit is part of the diagnostics given to the buyer and is valid for five years.
It is not the same as the DPE: it proposes at least two works pathways, one of them in stages, with the expected performance after works, their cost and the available grants. It is the most useful document for budgeting a renovation, though it does not replace tradesmen’s quotes.
Checking that the DPE is valid
- A DPE is valid for ten years. Those carried out between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2021 have no longer been valid since 1 January 2025.
- The DPE carries a number issued by ADEME (the French environment agency); without it the DPE is not valid. You can check it on the ADEME website.
- Since 1 January 2026 the factor that converts electricity into primary energy has fallen from 2.3 to 1.9. An electrically heated house may change class: an earlier DPE can be updated free of charge on the ADEME website.
ScanAdresse shows the DPE recorded for the address in the ADEME database, with its date and class, next to the other registers; if no DPE is found, it says so.
Buying an energy sieve: price and works
An F or G house often sells for less than a comparable, better-rated one, but the gap does not necessarily cover the works. Compare the price with actual local sales, add the cost of the works in the audit, then subtract any grants you may be entitled to, which France Rénov' (the public renovation advice service) can tell you about. Allow for time too: a major renovation is counted in months.
Negotiating the price with facts
Frequently asked questions
Can I live in a G-rated house?
Yes. The decency thresholds concern letting. An owner-occupier has no obligation to renovate; renovation grants remain open to them, under conditions.
Must the seller do the works before selling?
No. The seller must provide the DPE and, for a house rated E, F or G, the energy audit. The works remain a matter of price between the parties.
Is a DPE from 2020 still valid?
No. DPEs carried out between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2021 have not been valid since 1 January 2025. Ask for a recent one.
Are holiday lets affected?
The decency rules described here concern residential leases. Other rules may apply to furnished holiday lets; ask the mairie.
Sources
- Service-public.fr: the DPE
- Service-public.fr: energy audit on sale
- Service-public.fr: decent housing
- Ministry for Ecological Transition: letting energy sieves
ScanAdresse is a private service by SRI Group BV (VAT BE1037052239), not connected to any public authority: it brings together public data, with the source and date of every item.
Updated on