Eric Bardoul, co-owner and member of the union council of the Esplanade residence, in Montpellier, can finally breathe. Insulation work from the outside of its building of 192 housing units are in progress. “To get there, you have to have a lot of energy, know how to convince, and proceed in stages”, he summarizes. This work, which will cost 3.8 million euros, including 1.6 million in aid, should be completed at the end of the year.
A success which should not make us forget that energy renovation in co-ownership is complex and that few buildings are really getting started. According to the National Housing Agency (ANAH), 51,559 housing units were renovated in 2022 on the 8.4 million that co-ownerships count, according to figures from the Ministry of Ecology. However, three quarters of buildings were built before 1973, the date of the first rules on insulation.
First reason: decisions are taken at a general meeting, which is only held once a year, and provided that a majority of co-owners are convinced to vote for the work. Before construction begins, it could take three years. In the case of the Esplanade, the building had been considering renovation for ten years. It was the aid and the fear that it would be less important in the future which finally decided this Montpellier co-ownership to get started.
The cost of the work is also a major obstacle. “Not everyone has the same means, very different profiles are brought together in co-ownership”recalls Alexis Lagarde, vice-president of the National Union of Real Estate Owners.
Move forward in stages
To move forward, it is better to plan several steps, and this is what the legislation provides. Since 1er January 2024, all co-ownerships of more than fifty lots must develop a multi-year work plan (PPT) which lists the necessary interventions within a ten-year period. This document contains an important section concerning energy renovation.
To develop this plan, it is necessary to start from a collective energy performance diagnosis (DPE), developed at the building level, or from a more complete global technical diagnosis (DTG). For many co-owners, 2024 will therefore be devoted to voting on the estimate from the design office for this DPE or this DTG. It is only in 2025 or 2026 that the PPT will actually be voted on and that the works will be chosen, for projects which will therefore often start in 2027.
Skipping the steps is difficult for these legal reasons, “but also because the co-owners need to mature their project”, explains Thomas Bon, collective housing renovation specialist at Hellio. To move forward, it is also better to be well supported by a professional, called a “project management assistant” (AMO). The latter is also mandatory to receive co-ownership aid. It is he who carries out the studies and develops the work scenarios.
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