Home rated G
banned from letting.

Since 1^st January 2025, a home whose DPE shows the letter G is no longer considered "decent housing" in mainland France. In practice: it can no longer be let. The rule applies to new tenancy agreements, but also to leases renewed or tacitly extended since that date. A current lease, however, is not called into question before its renewal.

A clarification that matters, because the opposite is stated everywhere: as of 15 July 2026, only G is banned. F-rated homes will only be banned from 1^st January 2028, and E-rated homes from 1^st January 2034. If an article tells you that "F and G energy-inefficient homes are banned", it is one step ahead of the law.

Also worth knowing: the rule applies to private and social housing alike, to unfurnished and furnished lettings, but not to furnished holiday lets. And a blank DPE does not allow a home to be classed as decent. Finally, since 24 August 2022, rents on homes rated F and G have been frozen: no increase between two tenants, no rise on renewal, not even annual indexation.

A bill passed at first reading in the Senate on 8 July 2026 plans to relax these rules. It has neither been finally adopted nor enacted: to date, the timetable above is still the one that applies.

This 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 was modified: the conversion coefficient for electricity went from 2.3 to 1.9. The result: around 850,000 homes left the energy-inefficient category — without anyone installing a single piece of insulation.

Two things to remember. First, no rating was downgraded by this reform: you can only gain from it. Second, the update is free and requires no new visit: a certificate has been downloadable from ADEME's DPE-Audit observatory since 1^st January 2026, and it can be used when letting a property.

An honest caveat: only homes heated by electricity really benefit. If you heat with gas or oil, 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. Start there: it would make no sense to start works to leave a class you may already have left.

Let's be frank, because the subject generates a lot of exaggeration. There is no automatic administrative fine that will land in your letterbox because your home is rated G. Nobody is going to fine you automatically.

The real lever is legal action: it is your tenant who can take the matter to court. The judge can then order you to carry out the works, reduce or suspend the rent, and suspend the term of the lease until they are done. Conversely — and this is a very widespread misconception —: the tenant must continue to pay the full rent until the judge has ruled. They cannot stop paying on their own initiative.

The second lever is financial: the CAF can withhold housing benefit for 18 months maximum. The sums are paid back to you if the works are done — and permanently lost beyond that period. Add the rent freeze, and a G-rated home above all becomes an asset that is quietly losing value.

Good news: being rated G makes you 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: the grant is capped at €30,000 excl. VAT of works for a gain of 2 classes, €40,000 excl. VAT for 3 classes or more, with a funding rate of 80% (very low income), 60% (low income), 45% (middle income) or 10% (higher income). Two useful clarifications: the 10% "leaving energy-inefficient status" bonus no longer exists since 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 technical point that changes everything 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. In other words: for a G-rated home, a whole-house renovation is no longer just the most effective option, it is often the only funded route.

Finally: 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 an energy 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, and up to €1,000 for middle incomes. It requires having already obtained funding from a primary funder, and there is no direct application: it goes through your Accompagnateur Rénov'.

Savoie (73). The departmental scheme "Savoie Rénov'énergie" is, to date, 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. The same goes for MaPrimeRénov', whose application window has closed twice in eighteen months: it is open at the time of writing this page.