The rental market and real estate purchases in France are going through a period where the rules of the game are changing faster than the habits of housing seekers. Between the ban on renting thermal sieves classified as G since January 2025, the strengthening of mandatory mentions in listings, and the proliferation of specialized platforms, reading a real estate ad today requires a different level of attention than it did three years ago.
EPC and real estate listings: what search filters don’t always show
Since January 2025, homes classified as G in the energy performance diagnosis can no longer be offered for rent in metropolitan France. This ban has a direct effect on the volume of available listings: a significant portion of the old rental stock has simply disappeared from the portals.
Rental listings must now display the energy class, climate class, and an estimate of annual energy expenses. For the most energy-consuming properties still allowed for rent (class F), a specific mention such as “housing with excessive energy consumption” must also be included in the listing.
A decree published in 2026 modifies the conversion factor of electricity in the calculation of the EPC, with a scheduled implementation on January 1, 2027. This recalculation is expected to improve the rating of certain homes heated by electricity and reduce the number of properties classified as F or G. For a housing seeker, this means that an apartment currently labeled F could be reclassified as E next year, which would change its rental conditions and potential rent.
When filtering listings by energy class on a platform, keep in mind that these rankings are in flux. A property excluded today by your criteria could become relevant again in a few months.
Rental listings and rent control: a third out of bounds
A survey published in September 2026 reveals that 37% of the listings analyzed between August 2025 and August 2026 did not comply with the legal rent control ceilings. This figure pertains to areas where this control applies, mainly large urban areas.
In practice, this means that one in three tenants who signs a lease in these areas is potentially paying more than what the law allows. Listing platforms are not required to automatically verify the compliance of the displayed rent with the applicable ceiling. It is up to the tenant to perform this verification, often by consulting prefectural decrees or simulators provided by local authorities.
For those looking to access listings from 123 Net Immo, cross-referencing information from multiple sources remains the most reliable method. Comparing the displayed rent with the applicable reference ceiling for the neighborhood and property type allows for quick identification of listings that are out of bounds.
- Check the applicable increased reference rent for the property’s address (available on the websites of prefectures or local rent observatories)
- Compare the rent including charges with this ceiling, taking into account any potential rent supplement, which must be justified by exceptional characteristics of the property
- Be wary of listings that do not display the reference rent while the property is located in a controlled zone: this is a legal obligation
Online rental scams: concrete signals to spot
Online rental scams have seen a nearly 30% increase recently, with individual losses ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand euros. The mechanics are often the same: an attractive property at a price below market value, a supposedly overseas owner, and a request for a transfer before any visit.
The most structured platforms (Bien’ici, SeLoger, LeBonCoin) have reporting and moderation systems, but none are immune. Fraudulent listings sometimes use photos of real properties published on other sites, making visual detection difficult.
Some reflexes can reduce the risk:
- Never send money before physically visiting the property and meeting the owner or their representative
- Check the consistency between the displayed price and the rents practiced in the neighborhood (a gap of more than 20% below market is a warning signal)
- Search for the property’s address and the listing photos on other portals to detect fraudulent duplicates
- Prefer listings published by identifiable professionals (professional card number, mention of the Hoguet law)
Artificial intelligence tools and real estate search in 2026
Several platforms now integrate artificial intelligence tools to refine the housing search. These features range from automatic sorting of listings based on cross-criteria (budget, commute time, proximity to shops) to the detection of potentially fraudulent EPCs through document analysis.
The detection of fake EPCs by AI represents a notable development. Some tools analyze the consistency between the declared characteristics of the property (area, year of construction, type of heating) and the displayed energy class. Field feedback varies on the reliability of these tools: they spot gross inconsistencies but struggle with sophisticated fraud.
Aggregators like MoteurImmo offer to centralize listings from dozens of portals into a single interface, with advanced filters. This type of tool is particularly aimed at active profiles (property merchants, investors) who continuously monitor the market, but it can also save time for a tenant searching in a tight sector.
The search for real estate listings in 2026 relies less on choosing a single platform than on the ability to cross-reference sources, verify legal obligations (EPC, rent control), and spot warning signals. The regulatory framework continues to evolve, notably with the reform of the EPC calculation planned for 2027, which makes any listing consulted today potentially different tomorrow in terms of energy classification.