Energy class (DPE)
It's on the listing, from A to G.
The DPE and renting, in short
The energy performance diagnosis (DPE) rates every home from A to G, by its energy use and its greenhouse gas emissions. Since the loi Climat et Résilience, it also decides whether a place can be let, and whether its rent can go up.
The timeline
| Class | No more new leases | Rent frozen |
|---|---|---|
| G | Since 1 January 2025 | Yes, since August 2022 |
| F | From 1 January 2028 | Yes, since August 2022 |
| E | From 1 January 2034 | No |
| A to D | Never | No |
In metropolitan France, for unfurnished and furnished main residences. The timeline is later in the overseas departments.
What "banned" means
A place that uses too much energy no longer counts as decent: it can't be let on a new lease or renewed. A lease already running continues to its end.
If a lease is signed anyway
It stays valid. Ask the landlord in writing for the work to bring it up to standard. Without an agreement, the departmental conciliation commission and then the court can be asked, and the court can lower the rent.
The rent freeze
Since 24 August 2022, the rent of a place rated F or G can't go up: no yearly revision, no rise between two tenants, none at renewal. In Paris, no rent supplement is possible for these places.
The 2026 calculation
Since 1 January 2026, electricity counts less in the DPE. An electrically heated place may have gained a class with no work. The new calculation never takes one away.
Frequently asked questions
Not since 1 January 2025, neither on a new lease nor on a renewal: it no longer counts as decent. A lease already running continues to its end.
On 1 January 2028. Places rated E follow on 1 January 2034.
No. Since 24 August 2022 it's frozen: no yearly revision, no rise between two tenants, none at renewal.
The lease stays valid. Ask the landlord in writing for the work to bring it up to standard. Without an agreement, go to the departmental conciliation commission, then the court, which can order the work and lower the rent.
Yes, to unfurnished and furnished places let as a main residence alike.
The class must be on the listing, and the full diagnosis comes with the lease. If the listing says "DPE en cours", ask for the class before you sign.
Perhaps, if it's heated by electricity: since 1 January 2026 electricity counts less in the calculation, and around 850,000 homes left classes F and G with no work.