The most energy-intensive homes, classified F and G under the energy performance diagnosis (DPE), will gradually be banned from rental, with a total withdrawal from the rental market for these properties in 2028. Then it will be around homes rated E Measures included in the Climate & Resilience Law of August 22, 2021.
And as of this summer, constraints will apply, with the freezing of rents for thermal sieves. “Thus, for real estate investors, vigilance is essential regarding a future purchase or a current property”, underlines Horiz.io, a company specializing in rental investment advice. Landlords will indeed have to carry out energy renovations if their properties are concerned or, alternatively, resell them for lack of being able to do the work. It is better to have in mind the calendar of application of the law.
First constraints from this summer
Of the 37 million dwellings that make up the French housing stock, the number of thermal sieves is estimated at between 4.9 and 7.2 million, which represents 13 to 17% of the stock.
The first deadlines set by the Climate & Resilience law are coming soon… From August 25, 2022, it will indeed be prohibited, if you have rented accommodation classified F or G, to apply a rent higher than that of the previous one. tenant when drafting a new lease, to carry out an annual review of the rent during the lease (which takes into account the IRL) or to increase the rent when renewing the lease. This concerns private accommodation rented empty or furnished or as well as those rented via a mobility lease.
2023: a new threshold for the definition of decent housing
From 2023, according to a decree of January 11, 2021, a dwelling will be qualified as “energy decent” when its final energy consumption (this is the energy actually consumed in the dwelling and billed to the occupant , Ed) per m² and per year (for heating, lighting, hot water, ventilation, air conditioning, etc.) is less than 450 kilowatt hours (kWh). Thus, housing that exceeds this consumption threshold can no longer be offered for rent, i.e. most housing classified G. A measure that will only apply to new rental contracts concluded from January 1, 2023.
Another definition of decent housing from 2025
From January 1, 2025, the level of performance of decent housing, calculated here in primary energy (this is the amount of energy needed to produce the final energy in the housing, editor’s note) per m² and per year and depending on CO2 emissions, will be between class A and class F under the DPE, then from January 1, 2028 between class A and class E, and from January 1, 2034 between class A and class D.
All accommodation that does not meet these criteria will therefore be considered non-decent (i.e. properties rated G, F then E) and can no longer be rented from these different dates.
Landlords will therefore have to carry out energy renovation works. In case of refusal, a tenant can go to court to force his landlord to do the work.
What work should be done to change energy class?
According to Circuméo, specialized in rental investment, and B2I Expertises, a firm specializing in real estate diagnosis, an owner can opt for interior insulation to earn a letter in the DPE. He can also change his radiators to so-called smart radiators and replace his windows, doors, etc.
To earn two letters or more, it is necessary to carry out heavier renovation work, which generally requires, when one is in co-ownership, a proposal on the agenda of the general meeting of co-ownership and the majority vote of the co-owners. It can be the insulation of the walls from the outside, the insulation of the roof, the renovation or the installation of an efficient VMC or the change of the heating system. “We must approach the syndic of co-ownership so that the action plan is in line with the work possibly discussed and/or already envisaged by the co-owners”, indicate Circuméo and B2I Expertises.