Real estate assessors recall the importance of DPE and demand better tools

For several years now, the DPE has no longer been a question of formalism: it now meets the expectations of households in a context where safeguarding purchasing power is often the major concern.

For Yannick Ainouche, President of the Chamber of Real Estate Diagnosticians FNAIM: “The DPE has been scratched again. Its existence does not seem threatened, whatever the outcome of these legislative elections, but the relevance of the diagnosis is once again attacked with the existence of DPE of convenience denounced by Le Parisien. It is the credibility of our sector that is at stake, it is also the lack of tools to sanction unscrupulous diagnosticians, which appears glaring.”

Repeated surveys have shown that diagnosis is now a selection criterion in the choice of households. 79% of sellers of a primary residence and 57% of those selling a rental investment say they are ready to lower their price in the event of poor energy performance. 40% of future buyers consider a poor DPE as a negotiation lever.

The work of real estate diagnostic professionals allows the French and public authorities to benefit from one of the most closely monitored real estate portfolios in the world. And this is not the only fact of the DPE. We tend to forget it, but the diagnostician is not limited to energy performance, he also identifies asbestos or lead in buildings, checks gas and electricity installations, etc. So many diagnoses that affect safety and health in housing.

Faced with consumer expectations and regulatory issues linked to DPE, the sector has already made considerable efforts. A new step was taken again on July 1, with the strengthening of the skills of diagnosticians, both on the DPE and on the energy audit. New certification conditions have come into force, synonymous with more training and more checks for the diagnostician.

“We are not naive: our sector must have the means to sanction fraudulent diagnosticians”

However, as the Parisian survey shows, not everyone in this sector unfortunately seems to have understood the whole issue of DPE. The CDI-FNAIM deplores this. As an independent and impartial third party, it is intolerable for him to note that certain operators issue DPEs of convenience to allow an owner to escape a renovation obligation or to simply sell their property better, even if it means deceiving the buyer. buyer. Beyond the legal risk, this practice causes profound harm to the entire profession.

This type of abuse does not, however, arise from technical competence but rather from the rectitude that anyone has the right to expect from an independent and impartial third party. The CDI-FNAIM is working on it. Aware of the harm suffered by its members and its entire sector, the federation has always been a source of proposals.

In addition to its commission of illicit practices in creation, the CDI-FNAIM recently identified and denounced diagnosticians who carried out commissioning. This practice of paying business providers has been formally prohibited since 2010 because it obviously taints independence and impartiality. In addition, the federation also works in close collaboration with the public authorities to create an independent sanctioning body.

For Yannick Ainouche: “The CDI-FNAIM had nevertheless tried to set an example by pursuing a diagnostician who practiced with invalid certifications. To our great surprise, we were dismissed by the Court of Appeal with the justification being the absence of legislative or regulatory texts prohibiting diagnosticians from practicing without certification. Today, working without certifications would be worth little more than a simple fine of 1.500 euros! »

The investigation carried out by Le Parisien, the outcome of the action taken by the CDI-FNAIM in court against an indelicate diagnostician, demonstrate the weakness of their arsenal. Yes, the CDI-FNAIM has worked considerably to strengthen the skills of operators in recent years, but it must still ensure the rectitude of the profession, essential in the context of energy renovation. She needs new tools. Let's say it, the CDI-FNAIM needs strong sanctions, and sufficiently dissuasive so that a firm no longer dares to venture outside the box, practice without certification or deliver diagnoses that do not reflect the reality of the good. visit.