DPE visit checklist

Generate the list of documents to gather before the assessor’s visit — for a DPE that describes your home as it is, not as the method assumes by default.

FreeBased on the official 3CL methodFrance + condominium

Why prepare for your visit?

Since 2021, the DPE is calculated from the dwelling’s technical characteristics, and every unjustified piece of data falls back on a deliberately penalising default value: with no insulation invoice, a wall in a pre-1975 building is counted as uninsulated. Gathering your supporting documents avoids this underestimation.

Read the full guide: preparing for your DPE inspection

Your property

A few questions to tailor your checklist

Answer (or leave "I don’t know"): the list adapts to your home. With your address, these answers are pre-filled from your DPE.

Heating

Heating energy

Hot water

Position in the building

Ventilation

Recent works (optional) — to prioritise the evidence

Personalise with your address

You don’t need to already have a DPE: we find the last known DPE of your building to prioritise the characteristics that would have been estimated "by default" — the ones where your evidence matters most.

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Your document checklist

0/7 documents gathered

Gather these documents and hand them to the assessor before the visit. Each one replaces a penalising assumption with the reality of your home.

Envelope and insulation

Wall insulation invoices and certificates (external ETICS or internal ITI), with the thermal resistance R and thickness
Priority
Only needed if applicable (equipment present or works carried out) — otherwise nothing to look for.
Justifies
The real heat-transfer coefficient of the walls (Umur)
Avoids
Wall counted as "uninsulated" for any building from before 1975
Where to find it
The contractor's file, MaPrimeRénov'/CEE subsidy folder, project emails
France Rénov’ (MaPrimeRénov’ account)
Loft / roof insulation invoices (R-value and thickness)
Priority
Only needed if applicable (equipment present or works carried out) — otherwise nothing to look for.
Justifies
The roof heat loss (≈ 25 to 30% of total losses)
Avoids
Roof assumed uninsulated for buildings from before 1975 (same rule as the walls)
Where to find it
The contractor's invoice, RGE certificate
Window / joinery invoices (glazing type, double or triple, installation date)
Priority
Only needed if applicable (equipment present or works carried out) — otherwise nothing to look for.
Justifies
The window coefficient (Uw): gap, fill gas and low-emissivity coating, none of which can be observed
Avoids
Double glazing assumed with a thin air gap and no low-e coating: Ug ≈ 3.3 instead of 1.1 W/(m².K)
Where to find it
The window fitter's invoice, product datasheet

Systems: heating, hot water, ventilation

Boiler invoices and manual (make, model, year — condensing or not)
Priority
Only needed if applicable (equipment present or works carried out) — otherwise nothing to look for.
Justifies
The type and real efficiency of the heating generator
Avoids
Standard boiler of the construction year (pilot light for pre-2003 buildings)
Where to find it
The installer's invoice, rating plate, manufacturer's manual
Heat-pump technical sheet (make, model) + maintenance certificate
Priority
Only needed if applicable (equipment present or works carried out) — otherwise nothing to look for.
Justifies
The real performance (COP / ETAS) and the heat-pump type
Avoids
Default efficiency, without crediting the real performance
Where to find it
Invoice, manufacturer's product sheet, maintenance contract

Building and administrative

Building permit or proof of construction year (notarial deed, property-tax notice)
Priority
Justifies
The construction period (drives many default values)
Avoids
Year estimated by the assessor, often defaulting to the penalising "pre-1948/1975" assumption
Where to find it
Town hall, notarial deed, property-tax notice
Land registry (cadastre.gouv.fr)My real estate (impots.gouv.fr)
Listed historic monument? It is EXEMPT from the DPE — provide the listing/registration order
Justifies
The DPE exemption for listed or registered historic monuments (CCH art. R126-15)
Avoids
Note: a merely old building (pre-1948) or in a heritage area is NOT exempt
Where to find it
Listing/registration order (prefecture, regional heritage office, sale deed)
CCH art. R126-15 (Légifrance)

Condominium (ask the managing agent)

Tip: most of these documents are available on your condominium’s online space / extranet (managing agent) — check it before contacting the agent.

The building's collective DPE
Priority
Justifies
Your home's shared characteristics (envelope, collective heating/DHW)
Avoids
Shared characteristics calculated by default, which penalises the result
Where to find it
Managing agent (mandatory per the Climate Act timetable)

If you can’t find some documents, contact your managing agent to obtain them:

Need a certified assessor?

The DPE must be carried out by a certified assessor. Find one near you via the ministry’s official directory.

Official directory of assessors

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Frequently asked questions

Gather the envelope evidence (wall, loft, floor and window insulation invoices with the R-value and date), the systems (boiler, heat pump, hot-water tank, ventilation), the construction year (permit, deed, property-tax notice) and, in a condominium, the managing-agent documents (collective DPE, maintenance log, AGM minutes). Each one avoids a penalising default value.

No, no list is imposed on the owner. But without evidence, the assessor applies deliberately penalising default values: with no insulation invoice, a wall in a pre-1975 building is counted as uninsulated. Providing the proof describes the home as it really is.

No. The tool does not ask for your DPE. If you enter your address, it finds the last known DPE of the building to flag the characteristics that would have been estimated by default — useful precisely if you have renovated since and the old DPE is no longer reliable.

For a flat, the tool aggregates — anonymised and only beyond 4 comparable homes — the shared characteristics of the building (heating energy, façade insulation, construction year) from the other units’ DPE. This feature is reserved for subscribers.

Homes rated G are affected from 2025, F from 2028 and E from 2034 (energy decency). A well-prepared DPE that credits real improvements can avoid an unfairly low rating and its rental consequences.

DPE visit checklist

Why prepare for your visit?

A few questions to tailor your checklist

Personalise with your address

Your document checklist