While real estate transactions have existed for centuries, it was only in the mid-90s that the first diagnostics became mandatory during a real estate sale.
Thus, the Carrez law appeared in the legislative texts in December 1996, requiring the seller to mention the private area of his property in the sale documents. This was followed by lead diagnostics in 1998, the termite report in 1999 (depending on the region), asbestos in 2002... all these operations aimed to inform the seller, buyer, or lessor during their real estate procedures.
As of November 1, 2006, the Energy Performance Diagnostic (DPE) also becomes mandatory for each sale in the existing housing and must be notified within the sale advertisements as well as in the sale deed, before being required the following year for new and rental housing.
In line with the Climate Plan and with the goal of limiting global warming, this DPE aims to encourage owners to reduce their ecological impact.
With its application on July 1st, it no longer only has the informative character it had in the past, but imposes certain obligations on the owner. Established by a certified diagnostician and with a validity period of 10 years, it provides a detailed description of the dwelling. Now, invoices are no longer taken into account for the diagnosis, only the quality of construction, the materials used for its insulation, the consumption equipment, the glazed surface... are important to establish the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of the housing.
It results in a rating system from A to G with an "Energy" rating (economical housing) and another "Climate" rating (greenhouse gas emissions), grouped under the same label, with a classification according to the worst performance: indeed, if your housing is rated C in energy consumption and E in GHG, the final classification retained will be E.
Even if these ratings may seem theoretical, since living habits are unique to each individual, the technician indicates in his report the different possibilities to improve the quality of the housing.
Insulating your walls and roof, changing your boiler, installing solar panels, all this is possible at a lower cost. Assistance and tax credits have been set up by the government to help owners with this goal. Zero-interest loans, Coup de Pouce bonus, Energy check... there are numerous schemes to encourage owners and lessors to carry out their work, whose amounts can sometimes be daunting. Yet, it is imperative to think long-term: having a high-performance home is a comfort in everyday life, and the property will be all the more valued during a resale. These works should not be neglected knowing that in 2025, housing classified as G will be withdrawn from the rental market. This will be the case in 2028 for housing classified as F, and those classified as E in 2034.
All information on the new DPE is available on Economie.gouv.fr,
