France plans crackdown on fraud around obligatory energy ratings for homes

The French government is cracking down on property energy rating (DPE) fraud, with a 10-step plan aiming to improve checks and make the system more transparent and stringent overall.

What is the DPE?

Property energy ratings (diagnostics de performance énergétique, DPE) are mandatory for properties that are being sold, or let to new tenants. On a scale from A (the best) to lowest (G), they rate the property’s energy efficiency.

Since January this year, properties with a G rating are not allowed to be let. Properties rated F or E will soon also be barred from rental - from January 1, 2028, and January 1, 2034, respectively.

This means that property owners who wish to let low-rated properties need to do renovation work to improve their rating before they can put it back on the rental market.

Read more: Timetable for new energy-linked restrictions for homes in France 
Read also: Many French property energy efficiency ratings now out of date: How to check yours
Read more: How much do energy efficiency renovations cost in France? 

Sellers need to clearly display the property’s DPE on any listings, and a low rating may act as a deterrent to buyers. 

Some older buildings may have a low rating due to their older materials and updating them may be a challenge and also change their original aspect. 

DPE fraud

Earlier this year, a study from property expert group SeLoger.com said that an increased number of private rental listings did not show the property’s DPE rating, which could be a “sign of a possible circumvention” of the rules, it said.

On March 19, Minister for Housing Valérie Létard unveiled a 10-step action plan to crack down on illegal property listings and owners who present ‘sham’ ratings.

“Today, there are about 70,000 [sham ratings on listings],” she said, to TF1 yesterday. “That’s 70,000 too many.”

She said that the DPE must be “irreproachable”, because it is “an essential tool for defining a property’s quality in terms of energy consumption, the heating bills it will generate…and the impact it has on the climate.”

An investigative report into the issue is set to be published tomorrow (March 20).

Anti-fraud plan

Ms Létard's plan rests on three main pillars.

1. Artificial intelligence

AI-assisted tools will be trained to recognise suspicious DPEs, especially those that appear to have been carried out too quickly or which appear inconsistent with similar properties. If a property is flagged it will be subject to further checks. The number of checks will also increase.

2. Certification

The minister also said that there will be extra checks on the certification of diagnosticians - the agents who inspect properties and decide their DPE rating - in a bid to ensure that they are genuine and properly certified to carry out the rating work.

“Each diagnostician will be assigned a QR code,” she said. This will enable owners and tenants to check their legitimacy.

“You will be able to check that this diagnostician is recognised and certified, and that he or she is not banned from practising his or her profession,” Ms Létard added.

MPs are also set to consider whether it makes sense to create ‘an order of diagnosticians’ in a bid to tighten up regulation of the profession.

3. Geolocation

The plan will also introduce new geolocation tools, to ensure that the diagnostics are actually carried out at the site they claim. If a discrepancy is found the DPE will not be valid. 

The ratings will also now be delivered after the check by post, rather than on-site immediately after. This will aim to avoid the owner or tenant from putting pressure on the agent at the time.