From 1 January the rental of thermal filters classified as G in the energy performance diagnosis will be prohibited. And some landlords are starting to panic at the thought of no longer being able to rent.
The ax will fall in a few days. The property has had more than three years to prepare: as of January 1, 2025, the Category G accommodation under the DPE it can no longer be offered for rental. This prohibition applies to new leases, or to the date of renewal of a lease.
While some owners have carried out energy redevelopment works, for those who had not anticipated them, stress has increased in recent weeks. “Many owners came to visit us telling us that they were in a hurry, that they absolutely had to do the work quickly,” says Pierre-François Morin of Hello Watt, a company specializing in supporting energy renovations.
“The period is a bit complicated for G homeowners, but we reassure them by explaining that there are quick solutions,” explains Pierre-François Morin.
He thus saw landlords arrive who needed small jobs, in order to quickly earn an energy class and peacefully rent out their accommodation. “It is always better to do a complete renovation, but we know that it takes more time and costs more,” explains Pierre-François Morin. “So there are solutions even for small jobs that can be completed in a few weeks.”
The professional mentions in particular the insulation of the attic or the insulation from the outside which can be carried out quickly, even if the accommodation occupies a tenant. «Generally, installing a heat pump also increases its energy class, even if the ideal is to combine it with an insulation gesture», he continues.
Comings and goings on condominium homes
According to Pierre-François Morin, what explains the owners’ concern is also the uncertainty regarding the regulations in force. If the timetable for the ban on the rental of thermal filters has been known since 2021, changes have been considered in recent months.
The government asked a relaxation for co-owned G housing provided that the works are planned. Renovation in co-ownership indeed presents difficulties, especially because large-scale works require the agreement of the general assembly. But the fate of this bill remains uncertain, upset by government censorship. According to the Assembly website should be examined on January 28, 2025, i.e. after the ban comes into force.
But Hello Watt is not fighting for a postponement of the ban on rental of thermal filters. “The law has been known for several years, there were possibilities of bringing it forward. If we only postponed it, the difficulties will still be the same in a year,” explains Pierre-François Morin.
The goal, according to him, is to encourage the co-owners to move forward with the energy renovation work. “And even if the general assembly rejects them, there is always the possibility of carrying out works on a residential scale, in particular thanks to good internal insulation which allows obtaining energy classes”, he underlines.
“I will have to sell”
Some buildings, however, face the opposite problem: the majority agree to renovate in an energy efficient way, but some owners do not have the financial means and find themselves in difficulty.
Such as in Lyon, where the co-owners voted for an “essential energy renovation” project, according to the trustee, for amounts between 20,000 and 60,000 euros. There are those who ask for a postponement.
For Laure, who has been the owner for around twenty years, the bill will amount to more than 38,000 euros, a sum she cannot afford. “Today I will be forced to sell,” she confides BFM Lyon. Since it will weigh on my debt-to-GDP ratio, it will make me excessively indebted.”
The curator, for his part, quickly rejects the accusations. “The start-up dates back to more than five years ago and is largely supported by the state and the metropolis of Lyon, which supports more than 40% of the co-owners’ union.”
These problems, however, are not specific to energy restructuring because it may happen that the owners are unable to pay the charges or finance works of any kind such as the renovation of the facades.
In France, 4.8 million housing units are classified F or G, of which 1.5 million are in private rental stock, 0.4 million in social housing and 2.9 million owner-occupied, according to the government estimates of 2023.