Home rated F
you have until 2028.

Let's start by correcting the most widespread mistake on the subject: as of 15 July 2026, a home rated F can perfectly well be let. Only homes rated G are banned, and only since 1^st January 2025. If an article tells you that "F and G energy-inefficient homes are banned", it is confusing an upcoming deadline with the law in force.

The real timetable is as follows: on 1^st January 2028, a home will need at least an E rating to be decent — F-rated homes will then fall under the ban. Then, on 1^st January 2034, it will be the turn of E-rated homes. As with G, the rule covers new tenancy agreements as well as leases renewed or tacitly extended from that date: a current lease is not called into question before its renewal.

And the relaxation everyone is talking about? A bill was passed at first reading in the Senate on 8 July 2026 and sent to the National Assembly. It has neither been finally adopted nor enacted. To date, the timetable above is the one that applies. Building your strategy on a postponement that does not yet exist is a gamble — not a plan.

Here is the point almost nobody will tell you, and it could save you an entire renovation. On 1^st January 2026, the DPE calculation method changed: the conversion coefficient for electricity went from 2.3 to 1.9. The result: around 850,000 homes left the energy-inefficient category — without a single gram of insulation.

In practice, if you were rated F and you heat with electricity, you may already be rated E — and therefore outside the 2028 deadline. Two pieces of good news: no rating was downgraded by this reform, and the update is free, with no new visit (certificate downloadable from ADEME's DPE-Audit observatory, valid for letting purposes).

The caveat, in all honesty: only homes heated by electricity benefit. With gas or oil heating, your rating will not change. Also check that your DPE is still valid: those carried out between 2018 and 30 June 2021 have no longer been valid since 1^st January 2025. This is the very first thing to do, even before asking for a quote.

2028 seems a long way off? The rent freeze, however, has applied since 24 August 2022. For a privately let home rated F or G: no increase between two tenants, no rise on renewal, and not even the annual indexation to the IRL (rent reference index). With every year that passes, your rent automatically loses value against inflation.

On top of this comes a market reality: on an F-rated property, the rating now weighs in negotiations for both sales and lettings. And when selling, a regulatory energy audit has been mandatory since 1^st April 2023 for F and G homes (detached houses and buildings in single ownership; it is not required for a flat in a jointly owned building).

In other words: waiting until 2027 to act is not "buying time", it means paying for the rent freeze for five years and then getting stuck in the rush of landlords who will all act at the same time.

A home rated F is eligible for the MaPrimeRénov' "major renovation" (rénovation d'ampleur) pathway, now reserved for homes rated E, F and G. The conditions: a gain of at least 2 classes, at least two insulation measures, a home over 15 years old used as a main residence, no heating that is mainly fossil-fuel based, and an RGE company — that is our certification.

The amounts: a cap of €30,000 excl. VAT of works for a gain of 2 classes, €40,000 excl. VAT for 3 classes or more, with a rate of 80% (very low income), 60% (low income), 45% (middle income) or 10% (higher income). Two updates worth knowing: the 10% "leaving energy-inefficient status" bonus was abolished at the end of 2025, and the caps are no longer the €40,000/€55,000/€70,000 still seen everywhere. For a major renovation, CEE (Energy Savings Certificates) are automatically included in the application; on top of this come the éco-PTZ (interest-free eco-loan of up to €50,000 over 20 years for overall performance) and 5.5% VAT on eligible works.

A decisive technical point since 1^st January 2026: wall insulation can no longer be funded under the "single measure" pathway. It can now only be funded as part of a major renovation. For an F-rated home, a whole-house renovation is therefore no longer just the most effective option: it is often the only funded route.

Finally, the reason to act early: these grants are not set in stone. The MaPrimeRénov' application window has closed twice in eighteen months (mid-2025, then from January to February 2026), the caps have already been lowered and a bonus has disappeared. The scheme is open at the time of writing this page. An Accompagnateur Rénov' is mandatory for a major renovation: this is an independent third party, bound to strict neutrality, who does not carry out the works. We work with them; we do not replace them.

Haute-Savoie (74). The Département pays an energy renovation grant to owner-occupiers, subject to income conditions and for a gain of at least 35%: 15% of the cost excl. VAT (cap €3,000) for very low incomes, 10% (cap €2,000) for low incomes, up to €1,000 for middle incomes. It requires prior funding from a primary funder and goes through your Accompagnateur Rénov' — no direct application.

Savoie (73). The departmental scheme "Savoie Rénov'énergie" is currently temporarily suspended pending its revision: we would rather tell you than display amounts that no longer exist. The Département does, however, fund free, independent advice from ASDER (Espace Conseil France Rénov'), on 04 56 11 99 00. In Grand Annecy, the "J'écorénove mon logement" programme is run by SOLIHA Haute-Savoie and ASDER.

⚠️ These local grants are volatile data. Departmental and local authority schemes open, are suspended and are revised regularly — which is exactly what has just happened in Savoie. The information above is up to date as of 15 July 2026, but always check for yourself on the official simulator mesaides.france-renov.gouv.fr and with the public service France Rénov', which informs and advises you free of charge.