Green Daily Fix

A flat that never gets warm, radiators running flat out, and an electricity bill that hurts more than the rent: living in a passoire thermique (energy sieve) is a daily tax on comfort. But in 2026 the law is firmly on the tenant's side — twice. If you stay, the rent of an F- or G-rated home is frozen and class G has been banned from new leases since 2025. If you decide to leave, the notice rules (préavis) are more favourable than most people think — often 1 month instead of 3 — provided you claim the reduction correctly, send the letter the right way and count the dates the way the law does. This guide covers both halves: your rights while you stay, and the exact mechanics of leaving, including the zone tendue subtlety that most websites get wrong.

If you let a property short-term in France, 2026 is the year energy performance catches up with you. The loi n°2024-1039 du 19 novembre 2024 — the loi Le Meur — pulls meublés de tourisme (furnished tourist rentals) into the same décence énergétique logic that already governs long-term lets. In communes that regulate change of use, a DPE now conditions the right to rent; class F and G properties are being pushed out; and from 1 January 2034 every tourist let that is not the owner's principal residence must reach class D. On top of that, registration has gone national — the State teleservice is in force since 20 May 2026 — and the taxe de séjour still applies. This guide sets out exactly what the law requires, the dates that matter, which properties are exempt, and how to plan renovations before a deadline — or a fine — forces your hand.

For a French landlord, a rental rated F or G on the DPE is now a countdown, not just a comfort problem. From 1 January 2025 the most energy-hungry homes can no longer legally be rented, and F-rated flats follow in 2028. Renovating is unavoidable — the real question is how to pay for it without draining your cash. This is where the éco-prêt à taux zéro (éco-PTZ) earns its place: a state-backed, interest-free loan of up to €50,000 over 20 years, open to landlords, with no income condition. This guide walks through the 2026 ceilings, the eligible works and the RGE rule, how the éco-PTZ stacks with MaPrimeRénov and CEE on the same works, the prêt avance rénovation variant, and the tie-in with the déficit foncier and the décence énergétique deadlines. Figures are drawn from service-public.gouv.fr and France Rénov; treat this as information, not personalised advice, and confirm each figure at the source before you sign.

Since 1 January 2026, one quiet number has reshaped the French rental market: the coefficient converting final energy into primary energy for electricity has dropped from 2.3 to 1.9. In plain terms, the primary-energy consumption printed on the DPE of an electrically heated home falls by roughly 17% — with no renovation work at all. For hundreds of thousands of landlords, that means a letter gained on the energy label, and sometimes an exit from the passoire (energy-sieve) status that had banned letting altogether. Enacted by the arrêté du 13 août 2025, the change raises very concrete questions: is my home reclassified? do I need a new diagnosis? can I rent it out again? This guide lays out the official figures and the exact steps, so you can re-issue your DPE at the right moment and put your property back on the market in full compliance.

Selling a French home rated F or G on its DPE? Since 1 April 2023 you cannot simply hand a buyer the energy label and sign — the law also requires a separate regulatory energy audit (audit énergétique réglementaire). The obligation widened to class E on 1 January 2025, and will reach class D on 1 January 2034. This guide explains, with the exact dates and legal references, what the audit is, how it differs from a DPE, what it must contain (two costed renovation pathways reaching at least class B), who may carry it out, what it costs, and how it dovetails with the ban on renting out thermal-sieve housing. The figures here come from service-public.fr and the Ministère de la Transition écologique; treat them as information, not personalised advice, and confirm your own case at the official source before signing anything.

What must a French rental listing show about energy? Every annonce must display the DPE energy class (A–G), the GES greenhouse-gas class, the estimated annual energy cost range with its reference year, and — for F or G homes — the mention "logement à consommation énergétique excessive". The DPE must then be handed to the tenant and annexed to the lease. This guide sets out each mandatory mention, since when it applies, and what a wrong or missing one costs.