Asbestos, lead, termites in France: which homes?

Summary table

Sources: service-public.gouv.fr guidance pages F742, F1142 and F3150. All form part of the dossier de diagnostic technique (DDT) (technical survey file) provided at the promesse de vente (preliminary sale contract) or, failing that, at the acte authentique (final deed of sale).

Asbestos: the 1 July 1997 threshold

The use of asbestos was restricted progressively from 1978, then banned outright in 1997 (ministère de la Transition écologique, Ministry for the Ecological Transition). Hence the pivotal date: the survey covers properties whose building permit was issued before 1 July 1997.

What is checked. The surveyor examines the materials on lists A and B (annex 13-9 of the code de la santé publique, Public Health Code). List A covers sprayed coatings, thermal insulation and false ceilings. In a copropriété (building in co-ownership), the survey covers the private parts; the syndicat (owners’ association) keeps a dossier technique amiante (DTA) (asbestos technical file) for the common parts, a copy of which you request from the syndic (building manager).

Validity (service-public.gouv.fr):

• carried out before 1 April 2013: must be redone before the sale;
• carried out since 1 April 2013: valid indefinitely. A new survey is advisable if works have been done, as they may reveal materials that were previously hidden.

If asbestos is found. The sale can still go ahead, but a buyer who has been informed cannot seek annulment on that ground and takes on the obligations, including asbestos removal. For list A materials under periodic monitoring, a new assessment must take place within a maximum of 3 years; the regulations set no frequency for list B.

Lettings. The law requires an asbestos survey; pending the implementing decree, service-public.gouv.fr recommends keeping it available for the tenant (guidance page verified on 6 December 2024).

Lead: the CREP for homes built before 1949

The CREP measures the lead concentration in interior and exterior coatings, including shutters and outbuildings in everyday use (a laundry room, for example). It also flags situations with a risk of saturnisme (lead poisoning) (service-public.gouv.fr, guidance page verified on 17 August 2026).

The 1 mg/cm² threshold. If damaged coatings exceed this threshold, you must have works carried out in the event of a sale or letting and protect the occupants, for example by preventing access to the damaged areas. For a landlord, letting without a CREP or without these works can give rise to criminal liability.

What’s new. An arrêté (ministerial order) of 3 August 2026 sets new performance criteria for the portable X-ray fluorescence devices used for the measurement. They must comply by 1 April 2027 at the latest.

In a copropriété, works on the common parts likely to seriously disturb the coatings must also be covered by a CREP.

Termites: the map of prefectoral orders

The termite survey covers houses and the private parts of copropriété lots located in an area declared, by prefectoral order, to be infested or likely to become so in the short term (service-public.gouv.fr).

How to find out whether you are affected (Ministry for the Ecological Transition):

• the order is made after consulting the municipal councils, then displayed for 3 months at the mairie (town hall);
• it can be consulted at the town hall and at the préfecture;
• Cerema (the public agency for risk, environment, mobility and planning) keeps a national map of exposed areas, updated with each new order.

Validity: 6 months at most. At the time of the promise or the final deed, a report more than 6 months old must be redone (article D271-5 of the code de la construction et de l’habitation, Construction and Housing Code, cited by service-public.gouv.fr).

Reporting termites. As soon as their presence is detected, the occupant, or failing that the owner, must inform the town hall. In a copropriété, the syndicat is responsible for this report for the common parts (Ministry for the Ecological Transition).

What you risk without a valid survey

For the seller, failing to provide one of these surveys engages their liability. They then cannot exclude the garantie des vices cachés (warranty against hidden defects) (asbestos, lead, termites). Using a non-certified surveyor is punishable by a fine of €1,500, rising to €3,000 for a repeat offence. The price of these surveys is not regulated and is paid by the owner (service-public.gouv.fr).

Which professional to consult

These three surveys are carried out by a certified, insured and independent diagnostiqueur (property surveyor); check their certification in the ministry’s official directory. The notaire (notary) checks that the technical survey file is complete and valid before signing, and the agent immobilier (estate agent) can help you have them carried out as soon as the property goes on the market.