Energy renovation grant fraud: Anah has strengthened its controls in 2025

These results confirm the effectiveness of the control mechanisms progressively strengthened in recent years and the government's commitment to securing public funding for housing renovation. The objective: to protect beneficiary households while ensuring the rigorous use of every euro of public money.

Energy renovation: stricter controls to limit fraud attempts

Home renovation is now a major pillar of public policies related to the ecological transition, improving purchasing power, and adapting housing to the needs of an aging population. It mobilizes considerable budgetary resources and represents a structuring market for construction and energy renovation companies.

In this context, the reliability of the aid system is essential.

In 2025, the French National Housing Agency (Anah) continued and intensified its strategy to combat fraud. Controls were strengthened, better targeted, and systematized at every stage of the process, from granting the subsidy to its disbursement. On-site inspections were also significantly increased (16% of cases), exceeding the initial target.

This strengthening of controls has made it possible to detect 21,439 cases presenting attempts at fraud, thwarted before any payment, for a total amount of 174 million euros.

Furthermore, fraudulent schemes have been detected retrospectively. The fraud suffered amounts to €85 million since 2020, representing 0,4% of the €19,2 billion in aid distributed by the Agency during this period. These situations are systematically reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office so that judicial investigations can be initiated and the perpetrators do not go unpunished.

Renovation aid: securing pathways and preserving confidence in the system

The fight against fraud in energy renovation aid relies on a comprehensive strategy combining prevention, securing processes and sanctions against malicious actors.

In 2025, the French National Housing Agency (Anah) continued its awareness-raising efforts with households through regular communication campaigns, relayed by local authorities. Security measures were also strengthened, particularly to effectively combat identity theft.

At the same time, the oversight of those involved in support programs has been strengthened. Recent legislative changes now allow for stricter control of agents, the withdrawal of accreditation for unscrupulous Renovation Support Providers, and the implementation of administrative sanctions.

Several measures are still needed to strengthen this system in 2026, including:

• An appointment at a France Rénov' Advice Center is mandatory before submitting any application for a major renovation.
• the publication of actors sanctioned by Anah (Name and Shame),
• The obligation for all actors offering energy renovation work to promote France Rénov' in their communication materials.
• the territorialization of the accreditation of the Renov' Support Workers.

For professionals in the building and energy renovation sector, these developments aim to further secure the market while rewarding companies that respect the rules.

Increasingly structured fraud schemes in energy renovation

Beyond the checks carried out on files and on construction sites, some fraudulent schemes rely on more complex mechanisms that go beyond the sole scope of intervention of the Anah.

In response to this development, an interministerial task force was established in 2025. It includes, in particular, the DGFiP, Tracfin and the DGCCRF.

The cross-referencing of tax and financial data made it possible to confirm the agency's analyses, to maintain the payment freeze and to initiate sanctions.

This inter-agency cooperation makes it possible to address fraud attempts at all levels: administrative, fiscal, financial, and criminal. It sustainably strengthens the capacity of the State and its agency to act against fraudulent practices that are becoming increasingly professionalized in the energy renovation sector.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.