Real estate diagnosis

When a property is put up for sale or for rent, the seller/lessor must be able to provide various diagnoses. DPE, gas, asbestos... Here is everything you need to know about the key real estate diagnoses of the Parisian (and even national) market.

Real estate diagnostics, for what?

If various diagnoses must be carried out when selling or renting an apartment or even a house, it is simply for the sake of transparency with respect to the purchaser/tenant. Real estate diagnoses are in fact carried out for information purposes and their results do not prevent sales/rentals from being carried out. Likewise, the seller/lessor is not always obliged to carry out work. In the context of a sale, the various diagnoses are combined in a technical diagnostic file (DDT) which must be presented with the compromise and then appended to the authentic instrument.

The DPE

The DPE is the Energy Performance Diagnosis. Not only is it mandatory, but it must also appear in ads published for the sale/rental of a property. For condominiums with less than 50 lots, the DPE of the common areas is mandatory. Beyond 50 lots, we are talking about an energy audit. But what is the energy performance of a property? It is simply the analysis of its energy consumption and emissions according to various elements (insulation, heating, etc.). The DPE report is presented in the form of a label (like the ones you see on household appliances). More concretely, an apartment classified A has obtained a better balance than an apartment classified G which consumes energy. This label also allows you to see the quantity of greenhouse gases released. The DPE must be carried out by a certified professional. Once completed, the expert should give various tips and information to optimize the home in question. This is a way to fight against the fuel poverty of the French and to protect the environment.→ Note that to obtain certain aid, you must contact the DPE.

The gas diagnosis

Are you selling a property? Be aware that the diagnosis of “the condition of the indoor gas installation is mandatory for all homes (apartments or houses) whose gas installation is more than 15 years old or whose last certificate of conformity dates back more than 15 years”. Also concerned are: the installations of outbuildings of single-family homes. Who should carry out this diagnosis? A professional and certified real estate diagnoser. He will control the entire installation (pipes, vents...). This diagnosis is valid for six years. It allows buyers to know the risks associated with an installation that does not comply with recent standards or where some elements (or even all of them) are outdated.

The Report of Risk of Exposure to Lead (CREP)

The CREP makes it possible to check the presence of lead in a home (old paintings, etc.). It must be given to the buyer or tenant and be accompanied by a notice explaining the impacts of lead on health and the precautions to be taken. It concerns all housing “whose building permit was issued before 1^Er January 1949”.Like other diagnoses, it should be performed by a certified professional. The Crep must be less than one year old in the context of a sale. If there is “absence of coatings containing lead or [...] presence of coatings containing lead at concentrations below the threshold of 1 mg/cm²”, a new Crep is not necessary. For a rental, the Crep must be less than six years old.

The asbestos state

Asbestos status is a diagnosis that makes it possible to detect the presence of these minerals in a home. Affected are all homes whose building permit was issued before 1^Er July 1997. It must also be carried out before starting renovation/rehabilitation/demolition work. The asbestos condition has unlimited validity only if it was achieved after January 2013. Is asbestos detected? The report should recommend a thorough risk analysis or solutions.

The state relating to the presence of termites

Also integrated into DDT, termite diagnostics make it possible to identify the presence or prove the absence of these small xylophagous (wood-eating) animals that live in groups and cause multiple damages in homes.“The condition relating to the presence of termites applies to single-family houses and to the private portions of condominium lots in multi-family buildings. The homes concerned are those located in areas declared by a prefectural decree as being infested by termites or likely to be infested in the short term.”To find out if the home you want to buy/rent/sell should be subject to such a diagnosis, contact your town hall or even your prefecture.

Electrical diagnosis

The condition of the indoor electrical installation is a mandatory diagnosis for all electrical installations over 15 years old. Its validity period is equal to three years and it must be carried out, like other diagnoses, by a certified professional. He will check multiple elements and draw up an assessment of his various observations. Note: a certificate of conformity or a declaration issued by an organization approved by the Minister in charge of energy and dating back less than three years is equivalent to a state of indoor electricity installation.

The State of a non-collective sanitation installation

It is a diagnosis to verify the compliance (or lack of compliance) of the installation with the regulations. It must appear in the DDT for all homes not connected to the public wastewater collection network.It is the public non-collective sanitation service (SPANC), contacted by the seller, who must carry out the diagnosis. If problems are identified, compliance work must be carried out. When the promise to sale/act of sale is signed, this diagnosis must be less than three years old.

Other diagnoses

The state of risks and pollution concerns properties located in certain French municipalities. It must have been completed less than 6 months before the signing of the promise/act of sale or lease. Finally, for any condominium put up for sale, the Loi Carrez measurement is mandatory. It is the seller's responsibility. A certified real estate diagnoser must perform this measurement. You now know more about real estate diagnostics. Do not hesitate to inquire in case of sale, purchase or rental.