F- or G-rated homes in France: can the rent increase?
An F- or G-rated home can be subject to France's rent freeze despite an annual revision clause. Also check energy-related housing standards: freezing the amount and establishing the right to let are different checks.
This guide covers private main-residence rentals in France. Holiday lets and special regimes should not be treated identically without review.
1. Find the applicable energy assessment
Locate the DPE, its date, validity and property identification. If an official certificate updates the applicable rating following calculation-rule changes, check it rather than deriving a new class from an advertisement or private estimate.
An energy bill does not replace the regulatory rating. Retain the diagnostic and relevant certificates with the lease records.
2. Identify the contract and relevant dates
The freeze covers, notably, leases concluded, renewed or tacitly renewed from 24 August 2022 in metropolitan France, and from 1 July 2024 in Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion and Mayotte.
Review the tenancy history rather than only the owner's purchase date. The housing ministry's freeze and energy-standards guide (opens in a new tab) explains scope and stages. Our lease guide helps locate the information.
3. Check each increase mechanism
| Proposed action | Check for an affected F/G property |
|---|---|
| Annual IRL revision | A clause does not lift the freeze |
| New tenant | Changing occupants does not itself authorise higher rent |
| Renewal of undervalued rent | Market comparisons do not remove the restriction |
| Works-related increase | An invoice does not automatically establish entitlement |
The rent increase comparison helps avoid moving a prohibited increase into another category. Nor should rent simply be renamed “charges” to preserve the intended total.
4. Separate the freeze from minimum housing standards
Metropolitan energy-related standards tightened in 2025 for class G. Subsequent general milestones concern class F in 2028 and E in 2034, under the applicable contracts and provisions. Overseas dates and rules need separate checking.
A non-compliant home is not made lettable merely by keeping rent unchanged. Conversely, consequences for an existing tenancy depend on dates and remedies; they do not authorise removal of the tenant without process.
Read the official housing standards (opens in a new tab). Do not promise that a single intervention will restore compliance without suitable assessment.
5. Plan works and reassessment
Identify defects, proposed improvements, quotations and timing. Works in an occupied rental require information and access arrangements, not an improvised intervention to justify a chosen increase date.
After work, obtain evidence of the updated energy position. Leaving classes F/G does not automatically recover all increases previously blocked. For future changes, recheck the mechanism, clause, dates and applicable limits.
6. Correct an improperly requested revision
If an increase overlooked an applicable freeze, review the figures and records before pursuing recovery. Identify affected periods and the correction needed; do not silently erase documents already supplied.
The IRL guide explains permitted revision. Where the DPE, dates or amount remain disputed, seek ADIL advice and keep a traceable response. Tenants should not unilaterally suspend all rent.
Frequently asked questions
Does a clause signed before the freeze always allow revision?
No. Mandatory rules depend notably on conclusion, renewal and tacit-renewal dates, not simply on a clause's presence.
Can rewriting an advertisement justify higher rent?
No. Advertising does not change the applicable DPE or the new lease's rent-setting rules.
Sources checked on 29 October 2026: housing ministry (opens in a new tab), Articles 6, 17, 17-1, 17-2 and 25-9 of the 1989 law (opens in a new tab). General information; check the rules effective for the actual transaction.