If you own a villa in the Languedoc, sooner or later you will hear of the DPE. It is the French energy performance certificate, and a recent law, the loi Le Meur of 19 November 2024, now makes it part of letting a villa to holiday guests. There is no need to rush: the timetable runs to 2034. Here is what it says, as of 3 October 2026. Most of the official pages we link to are in French.
What is the DPE?
The diagnostic de performance énergétique grades a house from A (very efficient) to G. It looks at heating, cooling, hot water, lighting and auxiliary equipment, and takes the climate zone into account. To reach a class, the house must clear the threshold on both counts, energy and climate.
A certified assessor (diagnostiqueur) produces it, on the owner’s initiative and at the owner’s cost; fees are not regulated (Ministry for Ecological Transition, in French). A certificate issued since 1 July 2021 is valid for ten years; those issued between 2018 and June 2021 expired on 1 January 2025. Its 13-digit number can be checked on the ADEME DPE register (in French).
What does the Le Meur law change for a holiday villa?
The law of 19 November 2024 aims to strengthen local control of tourist lets. It sets two rules about energy, and the term it uses for a holiday villa is meublé de tourisme: a furnished house let in full to guests passing through, who do not make it their home, by the day, the week or the month. Our villas fall into that category.
- To obtain a change-of-use permit (autorisation de changement d’usage) for a holiday let, the owner presents a DPE graded A to E, then A to D from 1 January 2034. This applies only in mainland France, and only where the commune has set up the permit scheme.
- From 1 January 2034, every holiday let must meet the energy level of a “decent” home, unless it is the landlord’s main residence.
What are the key dates?
- 21 November 2024. Where the commune has introduced the change-of-use permit, the application comes with a DPE graded A to E. The commune requires a valid certificate (State practical guide 2025, in French).
- 1 January 2026. For certificates issued from this date, the factor converting electricity into primary energy falls from 2.3 to 1.9. Earlier certificates that are still valid remain so, and can be updated free of charge, without a new visit, if the label improves (Service-Public, in French).
- Fourth quarter of 2026. The national online registration service is due to open, after an earlier mid-2026 target. The State guide says the DPE may be requested there, without extending the obligation to villas outside the permit scheme. The list of documents is still being finalised.
- 1 January 2027. The DPE is adapted to European law: it takes better account of renewable energy, and the electricity factor falls from 1.9 to 1.7, which can improve the label of an electrically heated house.
- 1 January 2034. Every holiday let that is not the landlord’s main residence must reach the level of a decent home: a DPE of A to D in mainland France.
What does not change before 2034?
The best-known deadlines (class G barred from letting since 2025, class F in 2028) concern long-term residential leases. The ministry states that the energy decency rule does not apply to seasonal lets. The Le Meur law adds one deadline for holiday lets: 2034.
According to the State guide, before 2034 the DPE threshold matters only for a change-of-use permit application. These dates are those of the texts in force; they may evolve, as the delay to the registration service has shown.
Does it apply to my villa?
- A villa that is not your main residence falls under the 2034 rule, and under the permit threshold if your commune applies the scheme.
- A main residence let occasionally is outside the 2034 rule, and outside change of use, as long as it is let for 120 days a year at most (or fewer if the commune has lowered the ceiling).
- A villa already authorised and registered is not exempt: the 2034 rule applies to all holiday lets, including those with all their permits.
Star classification is a separate step, covered in our guide to star ratings for holiday lets.
What can the commune decide?
The DPE level required is set by law, and no commune can change it. The commune does decide the procedure around it.
- The change-of-use permit. Since November 2024, any commune can introduce it by council decision. Outside tight housing zones, the decision must be justified by an imbalance between housing supply and demand. This is the application the DPE is attached to.
- Quotas and compensation. A commune may limit the number of temporary permits, or make a permanent permit conditional on compensation.
- Main residences. In some communes, the local plan can reserve new housing in certain zones for main residences, and the commune can lower the annual letting limit for a main residence, though not below 90 days.
- Checks, from 2034. The mayor may ask for a valid DPE, to be supplied within two months, failing which the owner faces a penalty of €100 a day. Letting a property below the decent level exposes the owner to an administrative fine of up to €5,000 per property, after a chance to submit written observations.
Each commune publishes its own rules, and your villa’s town hall will tell you whether the permit scheme applies. Our pages for Agde, Béziers and Sérignan cover the local rules.
How do I prepare, without rushing?
The State guide reminds owners that they have until 2034 to carry out any works. Three steps are enough to begin:
- find your villa’s DPE, its date and its number;
- ask the town hall whether the change-of-use permit applies;
- if works are needed, take advice from France Rénov’, the public renovation advice service (in French).
If you live outside France, your accountant and your notary will tell you how this fits with your own situation. This article summarises the texts as of 3 October 2026. It does not take your circumstances into account and does not replace the advice of a notary, a lawyer or a certified assessor.
What do we do for your villa?
Mademoiselle Conciergerie is a licensed estate agency holding the French professional card (transactions and property management). Under a management mandate, we handle your villa’s formalities (declaration to the town hall, tourist tax). For national registration, the law asks the owner to make the declaration in person: we prepare the file with you, then enter the number on each of your listings. Our legal monitoring follows these deadlines for every villa in the collection and keeps you informed, so that you can anticipate the DPE well ahead of 2034. Any investment is quoted for your approval, and major works are scheduled out of season.
For the tax side, our French holiday let tax calendar sets out the dates month by month. For the overall picture, see renting out your villa in France and entrusting your villa to a property manager.
Join our collection
Villa Camarines in Agde, Villa Monégasque in Sérignan and Villa Les Vagues at Le Grau d’Agde give a sense of the spirit of our collection in the Languedoc. If your villa shares that standard, you can join our collection; every villa is considered personally. Our frequently asked questions answer the first questions.
