A home rated F or G on the French energy performance certificate (DPE) is what the market calls a passoire thermique — an energy sieve. This is not only about comfort: the label carries direct legal and financial consequences, and it is negotiable.
Why the label affects the price
France's Climat et Résilience law phases the worst-performing homes out of the rental market. Homes rated G can no longer be newly let as of 2025, F follows in 2028, and E in 2034.
In practice an F or G property has a narrower buyer pool (rental investors step away), a known renovation cost ahead, and a harder resale until it is upgraded. All three are legitimate arguments.
Cost the discount rather than guessing it
Do not start from a ready-made percentage. Build the case:
- The cost of the works. Insulation, windows, heating system, ventilation. Get quotes before you make your offer: a contractor's quote is an argument, a rough guess is not.
- What belongs to the co-ownership. In a flat, some works (façade, roof, communal boiler) are not yours alone to decide. Ask for the general-meeting minutes: works already voted but not yet called for payment change the maths entirely.
- Running costs. Estimated consumption is on the DPE, in kWh/m²/year. Over your holding period, the gap versus a well-insulated home runs into thousands of euros.
- Available subsidies. They lower your real cost — and the seller knows it. Factor them in honestly, or your argument collapses at the first objection.
Check the certificate before leaning on it
A DPE is valid for ten years. Look at its date: an old one may predate renovation work, or use a calculation method no longer in force. A very recent DPE is the most solid document for both sides of the table.
In a block of flats several certificates usually coexist for different units. Make sure the one you are citing matches the surface and floor of the property you actually visited.
How to put it to the seller
A general remark (“it's an energy sieve”) is easy to brush off. A costed sentence is far harder to dismiss:
“The property is rated G, at 380 kWh/m²/year. The quotes I obtained for insulation and heating come to €X, of which €Y remains after subsidies. My offer reflects that.”
Check the rating for an address
OffreJuste shows the DPE certificates registered at an address (ADEME open data) free of charge, flags energy sieves, and sets them against real local sales. Analyse an address.