Mandatory Energy Audit to Sell an F or G Home in France (2026)
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](https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F37110) 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.
The regulatory energy audit, in one paragraph
A regulatory energy audit (audit énergétique réglementaire) is a document the seller must commission and hand to prospective buyers when selling France's worst-rated homes. It is not new for 2026 — the obligation has been rolling out since 2023, and 2026 simply sits inside an existing calendar. Its job is to take a home's poor DPE class and turn it into a practical, costed roadmap out of the passoire thermique (thermal-sieve) category. Where the DPE says how bad the home is, the audit says how to fix it, in what order, and for roughly how much — see the official summary on service-public.fr.
Who must provide it — the 2023-2034 calendar
The audit is required only for sales, and only for two property types: single-family houses (maisons individuelles) and whole residential buildings owned by a single owner (bâtiments d'habitation en monopropriété). Individual flats inside a condominium (copropriété) are not covered — copropriétés follow a separate regime. The obligation phases in by DPE class: - 1 April 2023 — homes rated F or G - 1 January 2025 — homes rated E - 1 January 2034 — homes rated D Overseas départements run a delayed calendar (F/G since 1 July 2024, E from 1 January 2028). The trigger is the DPE class at the moment you put the home up for sale, so a recent DPE that downgrades your property can pull it into scope. Full scope on the Ministère de la Transition écologique site.
Audit vs DPE: two different documents
The single most common mistake is treating the DPE and the audit as the same thing. They are not: the DPE grades the home, the audit engineers the way out of a poor grade.
| Point | DPE | Regulatory energy audit |
|---|---|---|
| Required for | Every sale and rental | Sale of E/F/G single-family homes and monopropriété buildings (D from 2034) |
| Purpose | Rates the home A–G | Maps a staged, costed path out of the poor rating |
| Content | Class, consumption, generic tips | ≥2 renovation scenarios reaching class B, works cost, aids, heat-loss diagram |
| Typical cost | ~€100–250 | ~€800–1,500 |
| Validity | 10 years | 5 years |
| Binding? | No (informative, opposable) | No — buyer free not to do the works |
What the audit must contain
The content is fixed by the arrêté du 4 mai 2022. Every audit must include: 1. The home's performance before works — estimated energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions (DPE method), plus a diagram of where heat is lost. 2. At least two renovation scenarios, both reaching at least class B: - a step-by-step pathway (renovation done in stages), and - a one-shot complete renovation. 3. Class targets along the way. For a home starting at F or G, the pathway must include an intermediate step reaching at least class C or D (arrêté du 4 mai 2022, as amended). Since 1 April 2024, the very first step must deliver a jump of at least two classes and treat at least two insulation elements — the six posts considered are walls, roof, floors, windows, ventilation, and heating/hot water. 4. Costs and aids — an estimate of the works cost for each step and the main financial aids that may apply. The buyer is never obliged to follow these scenarios — the audit exists to inform the price, not to force the renovation before sale.
Who can carry it out, cost and validity
Who can do it. For a single-family home, the audit may be carried out by a qualified engineering office (bureau d'études), an RGE-certified 'offre globale' contractor, an architect registered with the Ordre and specifically trained, or a certified DPE diagnostician who holds an additional audit attestation. Auditors must be independent of any works they might recommend, and cannot subcontract the audit itself. When it is delivered. Like the DPE, the audit must be given to any serious prospective buyer from the first visit, and it is annexed to the promesse and the final deed of sale. Cost and validity. Expect roughly €800–€1,500 for a house, depending on surface area and complexity; national averages cluster around €1,000. The audit is valid five years. France Rénov advisers (france-renov.gouv.fr) can point you to qualified professionals and any local aid.
The legal texts behind the obligation
The obligation is not buried in soft guidance — it sits in hard law: - Loi n° 2021-1104 du 22 août 2021 (loi Climat et Résilience), which created the duty and inserted article L. 126-28-1 into the Code de la construction et de l'habitation. - Décret n° 2022-780 du 4 mai 2022, which sets who is concerned and the auditor qualifications (Légifrance). - Arrêté du 4 mai 2022, which defines the audit's content for metropolitan France (Légifrance), modified by the arrêté du 29 décembre 2023 — the reinforced first step, in force 1 April 2024. - Décret n° 2024-820 du 15 juillet 2024, extending the scheme to the overseas territories. If you cite one reference to your notaire, cite article L. 126-28-1 CCH — it is the anchor the rest hangs from.
How it interlocks with the passoire rental ban
The sale audit and the rental ban are two arms of the same law, both keyed to the DPE: - Renting: class G homes have been barred from new, renewed or tacitly-renewed leases since 1 January 2025; class F follows on 1 January 2028, and class E on 1 January 2034 (see service-public.fr). - Selling: the audit obligation runs one class ahead of the rental ban, which is why many owners of F and G homes now face a single DPE deciding both whether they can let the property and what they must disclose to sell it. If you are a landlord weighing renovation against a sale, the same DPE threshold governs both routes. Tracking those thresholds property by property — DPE class, décence deadlines, which lots can still be let — is exactly what our French rental compliance module is built to do.
Conclusion: The regulatory energy audit is no longer a fringe formality: for any F or G home — and every E home since 2025 — it is the document that turns a poor DPE into a concrete, costed exit plan for the buyer. Get it done early, by a qualified auditor, and keep the DPE valid alongside it. Nothing here is personalised legal advice; the calendar and figures can shift, so confirm your situation on service-public.fr or with France Rénov before you list, sign, or budget the works.
Frequently asked questions
Is the energy audit the same thing as the DPE?
No. The DPE rates your home from A to G and is required for every sale and rental. The regulatory audit is a separate, more detailed study required only when you sell an E, F or G single-family home or monopropriété building. It builds on the DPE method but adds staged renovation scenarios, costs and aids. You need both — a valid DPE never replaces the audit.
Do I need an audit to sell a class D home in 2026?
Not yet. In 2026 the audit is mandatory for classes E, F and G. Class D only enters the scheme on 1 January 2034. If your DPE is D today you can sell without a regulatory audit — but a DPE remains compulsory, and if a new DPE downgrades the home to E, the audit obligation is triggered immediately.
Is the buyer obliged to carry out the works in the audit?
No. The audit is informative: it shows the buyer a realistic, costed path to a better class, but nothing forces them to do the works or follow the exact scenarios. It exists so buyers can price the renovation into their decision. The seller's duty is simply to have the audit done and hand it over — not to renovate before selling.
Who can carry out the regulatory audit, and what does it cost?
For a single-family home it can be a qualified engineering firm (bureau d'études), an RGE-certified 'offre globale' company, a registered architect with training, or a certified DPE diagnostician holding an extra audit attestation. Budget roughly €800 to €1,500 depending on size and complexity; the audit is valid five years. Always ask for the auditor's qualification and independence.
Does the audit change whether I can still rent out an F or G home?
The audit itself is a sale document, not a rental one. But the same DPE that triggers it also drives the rental ban: G homes have been barred from new or renewed leases since 1 January 2025, F follows on 1 January 2028 and E on 1 January 2034. So a poor DPE can block letting even while you organise a sale.
What happens if I sell without the audit?
The audit is part of the buyer's pre-contractual information, so a notaire will normally refuse to finalise the deed without it. Selling anyway exposes you to the buyer seeking a price reduction or challenging the sale for failure to inform. Practically, treat the audit as a blocking document: commission it before the first visit, not at the last minute.
About the author:
Julien Maurice is the founder of AdminLanding and writes the editorial guides on Green Daily Fix covering French renovation aid, energy policy, and the administrative side of the energy transition. Contact: [email protected]
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