France to reopen property grant scheme

Local France

5 days ago

The timing of the resumption of the scheme runs in line with expectations after economy minister Éric Lombard told the Senate that it would be temporarily suspended because of a backlog of applications and suspicions about fraudulent applications.
'Once this has been sorted out, the process can continue (...) the government has every intention of restoring operations before the end of the year,' he said.
On July 22nd, the Ministry of Housing indicated that around 5,000 fraudulent applications had been detected in relation to major renovations and approximately 8,000 fraudulent applications in relation to 'targeted' works.
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The MaPrimeRénov' scheme was introduced in 2020 to help households pay for energy-related renovations. Specifically, the work would need to fit into one of four categories: heating, insulation, ventilation and energy audits.
It had been due to undergo radical change, anyway – with financial aid for smaller-scale works phased out in favour of more extensive renovation work – but a decree issued in the closing days of Michel Barnier's short-lived government late last year meant it had something of a reprieve.
For the past two years, the state's share of funding for the scheme has been steadily reduced. By 2024, it was already down €2 billion of the amount initially planned, falling from €4.5 billion to €2.3 billion.
Meanwhile, the complexity of the scheme prevented all funds from being used. Only 350,000 renovation projects were carried out last year, compared to the 600,000 planned.
The application window for new renovation grants will reopen on September 30th, 2025. Access to financial support will be restricted, and terms and conditions have been modified.
MaPrimeRénov' Rénovation d'ampleur (major renovation) allows households, as part of a comprehensive renovation programme, to finance work on to improve comfort in summer and winter and save energy.
The scheme helps cover home energy improvement work in the following six categories:
thermal insulation of walls;
thermal insulation of ground floors;
thermal insulation of roofs;
thermal insulation of exterior joinery;
ventilation;
heating or domestic hot water production.
What about the new terms and conditions?
The number of new applications accepted for MaPrimeRénov' Rénovation d'ampleur will be limited to 13,000 until the end of 2025.
Initially, only very low-income households will be able to apply.
Depending on the number of applications submitted, low-income households may then have access to this financial support again. Levels for
'very low-income' and 'low income' households are defined here
.
Furthermore, applications must be for improvements to the most energy inefficient properties – ones that are classified E, F, or G in energy performance diagnostics – known as
diagnostic de performance énergétique
(DPE).
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In addition, a 10 percent subsidy bonus – that was applied to homes with pre-improvement energy ratings of F and G that would become at least D after work was completed – has been abolished.
Finally, as of September 30th, the ceiling for expenses eligible for MaPrimeRénov' will be lowered from a maximum of €70,000 for work that would result in a gain of four or more DPE classes to between €30,000 and €40,000, depending on energy savings achieved through the renovation.
It is currently still possible to submit an application for assistance for specific work, such as insulating the roof terrace of your home or installing a solar thermal heating system (the
MaPrimeRénov'
single-step process).
Applications for
MaPrimeRénov' Copropriétés
are also still being accepted; the IT platform processing renovation applications for co-owned properties remains accessible.
All complete and compliant applications submitted before the deadline will be
examined based on the rules in force at the time of submission
.
Because the grant is means-tested it requires a recent French tax declaration for proof of income, which in effect rules out second-home owners and limits the scheme to those resident in France. There is no requirement, however, to be a French citizen.