Tenant Rights: Central Heating Allocation in France
As a tenant in France, understanding how central heating allocation is calculated is essential to pay fair charges and assert your rights. Allocation can be based on individual consumption, collective readings or a distribution key defined by the co-ownership rules or the lease. You can request supporting documents and invoices from the landlord or property manager, dispute anomalies and, if necessary, seize the departmental conciliation commission or the judicial court. This guide explains in simple terms which steps to take, which documents to request and when to initiate a dispute to defend your situation without immediate legal action.
Legal framework
The rules for residential leases and the allocation of charges are mainly based on Law n°89-462 of July 6, 1989 and the texts of the Construction and Housing Code. The rules specify the landlord's obligations, the list of recoverable charges and the methods for justifying amounts charged to the tenant.[1]
Understanding central heating allocation
Allocation can be carried out according to several methods: proportionally to co-ownership shares, according to consumption when individual meters exist, or by a distribution key decided by the property manager. The lease or co-ownership rules must specify the method used and any reading procedures.
Your rights as a tenant
- Receive heating documents, invoices and details of consumption.
- Dispute an allocation you consider unfair by providing evidence.
- Obtain repairs if poor regulation or a breakdown affects habitability.
What to do if you dispute the allocation
Start by requesting detailed supporting documents and the calculation method from the landlord or property manager. Check the lease and annexes (model and inventory available on Service-public.fr) to confirm the method used[2]. If amicable exchange fails, the departmental conciliation commission can be seized before any judicial procedure[3].
Frequently asked questions
- Can the landlord allocate costs based on individual consumption?
- Yes, if the allocation method is provided for in the lease or co-ownership rules and justified by readings.
- What if I did not receive the supporting documents?
- Request them from the landlord; if refused, seize the departmental conciliation commission.[3]
- What are the time limits to dispute?
- It is best to act quickly and respect the deadlines indicated in the lease or by law for charge regularization.
How to
- Consult the heating documents and the lease.[2]
- Request detailed documents and invoices from the property manager or landlord.
- Contact the landlord to report anomalies and propose an amicable adjustment.
- Seize the departmental conciliation commission, then the judicial court if necessary.[3]
- Keep all evidence: invoices, photos, written exchanges.
Key points
- You have a right to supporting documents for charges.
- Dispute quickly and in writing while keeping evidence.
