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"Les Diagnostiques" Le Dossier de Diagnostic Technique - DDT
Pour voir les renseignements en français veuillez cliquer sur le drapeau
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The House-seller's Reports - as in the UK, these are required by law before the sale of a property.
They are usually paid for by the vendor. Each report has its own date of validity and requirements. This is a very short outline of what is required when selling a private property, not a business or properties for rental.
*** WARNING 1 *** As from 1st January 2011 it will be compulsory to have the Energy Efficiency Report completed before putting your house for sale - this applies equally to those with their houses ALREADY for sale! Please don't be caught out by this new rule - if you need help to find a diagnostiqueur (tester) please don't hesitate to ask - just email us with your name, address and phone number and we will put you in touch with someone who can help you.
*** WARNING 2 *** As from 1st January 2011 SPANC (Service Public d'Assainissement Non Collectif) diagnostic - a report on any sewage installation not linked to mains drainage - is required for all house sales before the completion of the Acte de Vente, the second and final sales contract. We are in the processing of preparing a fact sheet in English and French which will be freely available in early November.
With the exception of the Energy Efficiency report (see paragraph above) at the latest, these must be done just before the compromis, otherwise the purchaser could change their minds when the see a report and activate the cooling off period withdrawal. Ideally you should get these reports done when you put your house on the market. Your estate agent will be able to help you get these reports done. We do encourage you to get all your reports done early as many sales are held up when they are not ready when you find a purchaser. Again we can help you with this please just email us with your name, address and phone number and we will put you in touch with someone who can help you.
The prices vary according to the size of your property and the number of reports being done, but to give you an idea a 2 bedroomed house with 2 reception rooms will cost around 500 euros. If you need to have a report re-done make sure you negotiate before you have any reports done, that should any of them run out that the diagnostiqueur will come back either for free, or for a very reduced fee, say 50 euros.
You can listen to Philippa Weitz, MD of PWT Normandy and Brittany Houses for Sale talking about "les diagnostics" on expats radio. Interview carried out on 5th March 2010.
Report | Detail | Validity |
Asbestos | Required for any private building built before 1/7/1996 | Valid for between 3 and 30 years depending on the type of asbestos found Indefinate if no asbestos found |
| Lead Plomb | Required for any private building built before 1/1/1949 | Valid for 30 years if negative |
| Termites Etat Parasitaire | Although called "parasitaire" this appears only to be relevant to termites, which is present in around 60 departements. There is current no report for general wood-worm, but you can ask for one. If you are the purchaser, you may be asked to pay for this if it is not a mandatory report. | 6 months |
| Electricity Eléctricité | All electrical installations which are more than 15 years old. If you have done any electrical work yourself in your house we would advise you to get this signed off by a French qualified electrician before getting the reports done | 3 years |
| Gas Gaz | All gas installations which are more than 15 years old. This includes any installation with hard fixed piping, and does not include gas bottles where only soft piping goes to the cooker. If in doubt check with the Diagnostiqueur. | 3 years |
| Loi Carrez | This involves the measurement of new builds, particularly where there are communal areas | 30 years |
| Natural & Technological Risks ERNT | This covers all manner of natural and technological risks and the | 6 months - this is usually completed by the estate agent or the notaire and is not done by the diagnostiqueur. |
Energy Efficiency Report Le Diagnostic de Performance Energétique (D.P.E) | This report gives you information regarding the energy efficency of your house, green house gases information, a guide to how much it will cost for you to heat your property, and some recommendations on improvements relating to energy efficiency - such as double glazing, wall and roof insulation. The only buildings exempt from this report are those for who a planning permission was granted after 1st July 2008..As from 1st January 2011 it is compulsory for all estate agents to display the property's energy efficency in the window. The measurement should also be mentioned in the wording. | 10 years NB as from 1st January 2011 you will need to have this report BEFORE putting your house for sale. |
PWT would like to thank JFL Diag for their help in writing this article and the radio programme. JFL Diag is a small company based in southern Manche. We would be delighted to introduce you to them if you wish to have your house reports done. Please just email us at info@normandyandbrittanyhousesforsale.com saying you would like us to put you in touch with JFL Diag.
Please note this list is for guidance only and in no way constitutes any legal advice, which should only be provided by a company qualified and registered for the carrying out of the Dossier de Diagonstic Technique in France. PWT has made every effort to ensure this list is update to date but will take no responsibility should it fail in any way to be accurate.