Real estate diagnosis: risk assessment of lead exposure (CREP)
Verified 17 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
Mandatory measuring equipment
Lead concentration should be measured with a portable X-ray fluorescence device. This device will have to respect the new performance criteria no later than 1er april 2027.
That's what a order of 3 august 2026.
The risk of exposure to lead (CREP) is the measurement of the lead concentration of the coatings of dwellings built before 1949. It also makes it possible to identify situations of risk of saturnism, particularly in children. The owner-seller or lessor must give this document to the buyer or tenant. We're taking stock of the regulations.
Lead is usually present in old paints.
The CREP is to measure the lead concentration of the interior and exterior coatings of your home to identify those that contain it and assess their state of conservation.
It also makes it possible to identify situations at risk of lead poisoning (especially among children and pregnant women) or housing degradation.
As an owner, you must have a CREP carried out in case of sale or rental of a housing (apartment, detached house) if it has been built before 1er January 1949.
If the CREP establishes the absence of lead-containing coatings, or the presence of lead at a concentration of less than 1 mg/cm², there is no need to have a new one made during future works on the same common areas.
Where the immovable is co-owned, the works relating to common areas which may cause significant alteration of the coatings must be the subject of a CREP.
You can ask the syndic of co-ownership a copy of the CREP concerning the common parts to transmit it to the purchaser or tenant to inform him.
FYI
A CREP must also be performed during works of unsanitary exit concerning buildings constructed before 1er January 1949.
The CREP must be carried out by a diagnoser meeting specific criteria, in particular as regards certification.
You can use a search tool to identify a certified diagnoser:
Search for a certified real estate diagnoser or check the certificates of its diagnoser
The diagnoser should look for lead in coatings (old paints, plaster, bricks,...), including exterior coatings (such as shutters). Annexes are also concerned when they are intended for everyday use (e.g. laundry).
It shall measure the lead concentration of these coatings, specify the analytical method used and describe their state of preservation.
The information collected must be recorded in the CREP report, including the list of factors of degradation of the building that it has identified.
An information leaflet on the hazards of lead shall be annexed to the CRF.
The cost of the CREP is variable and determined by the diagnoser.
The CREP is entirely the responsibility of the owner seller or lessor.
The diagnoser gives you the CREP.
FYI
When the diagnoser is required to forward a copy of the CREP to the Director General of the French regional health authority (ARS) as part of a risk of childhood lead poisoning, he must inform you by any means. When the immovable is in co-ownership, he must also inform the syndicate of co-owners, through the syndic of co-ownership.
You must integrate the CREP to the various real estate diagnostics included in the technical diagnostic file (DDT) in sales case or rental, and hand it over to the future buyer or tenant.
You must also provide a copy of the CREP to occupants and persons required to carry out works. In addition, you must provide the CREP in case of control of the agents upon request (e.g. social security agencies).
If the CREP reveals degraded coatings containing lead at a concentration above the threshold of 1 mg/cm², you must make works in case of sale or rental.
You must also ensure the safety of the occupants, for example by preventing access to degraded surfaces.
It all depends on whether or not the CREP revealed the presence of lead:
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No lead or presence of lead below 1 mg/cm2
The duration of validity of the CREP is unlimited.
Lead present at a concentration greater than 1 mg/cm2
The CREP must have been completed since less than 1 year at the time of the sale of the dwelling, or since under 6 years old on the date of signature of the lease.
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For the seller owner
You may incur liability if you do not transmit the CREP or if you mention false information in the sale advertisement, misleading the buyer. In this case, you cannot be exempted from the guarantee of hidden defects (hidden defects).
The purchaser may appeal to the judicial court of the location of the property to request the cancelation of the sale or obtain damages and interest.
In addition, you may be fined €1,500 if you use an uncertified diagnoser (€3,000 in case of recurrence).
For the landlord
The absence of the CREP in the lease constitutes a breach of a particular obligation of safety and prudence, which may engage your criminal liability.
You also incur criminal liability if you have not carried out the necessary works when coatings contain lead at a concentration higher than 1 mg/cm² before the rental of the dwelling.
In these situations, the tenant can appeal to the judicial court of the location of the property to request the cancelation of the lease or a reduction in the amount of the rent.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
Administrative information by telephone - Allô Service Public
For more information on this subject, you can contact Allô Service Public.
Please note: the service does not have access to users' personal files and cannot therefore provide information on their progress.
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- Service free
The informants who answer you belong to the ministry in charge of housing and urban planning.
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