Many older French properties hit by energy audit
Low-energy efficiency ratings are increasingly unattractive to buyers
Many traditional stone properties in rural areas are impacted because they do not comply with modern norms
Shutterstock / SherylRamalho / Andrey Popov
Properties with a low energy-efficiency rating are proving off-putting to buyers.
This often affects older urban flats but many traditional stone properties in rural areas are also impacted because they do not comply with modern norms.
Properties rated E, F or G can now be sold only if they have an energy audit, paid for by the seller and costing €800-€1,500 (estimates from the energy firm Engie).
The audit details what work is required to raise the rating.
Installing double glazing, better insulation and new heating systems are often recommended, with bills frequently in the tens of thousands.
Properties rated G can also not now be rented out, and E and F properties will be affected by a similar ban in the coming years.
There has been speculation in some French media that this will force E, F, and G-rated properties into bargain prices, but estate agent Joanna Leggett said this is not the case so far.
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“Owners prefer not to sell at all than to have an audit done. And if a property with an E, F or G energy rating is on the market, buyers often refuse to look because they do not want to do the work to bring it up to scratch,” she said.
Century 21 says E, F and G-rated properties made up a smaller proportion of sales in 2024, compared to 2023.
“There are two main reasons,” a spokesman said. “The first is price – to raise the rating of a G property to E or D is often €40,000 to €50,000.
“Banks too are refusing to lend, or lending at higher rates, unless the buyers can show a plan to upgrade the property. Some offer loans and advice for this separately, some do not.”
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He said agents also report cases where some properties, which earlier had G or E ratings were withdrawn from the market for work to be done, then put back with a higher rating.
State statistics bureau Insee reports that Bourgogne-Franche-Comté has the highest proportion of E, F or G-rated properties (43.7%), followed by Normandy (43.1%) and Ile-de-France (42.5%).
Occitanie has the fewest (23.3%) and then Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (24.9%).
