FRANCE - Buyers will haggle if property needs energy-efficiency upgrades

As houses are often harder to keep heated than flats, it is worth carrying out renovations, so buyers should consider if they need to budget for insulation or replacing oil-fired heating with a heat pump, advised Mr Allouche.

He said renewable-energy heating systems are often good value to run.

"Some rural 'character' homes are hard to renovate but retain a certain cachet and charm.

"Perhaps you could install a wood-burning heater, which is not too expensive and has high energy-efficiency."

The biggest problem, he said, is for homes no longer deemed 'decent' to rent out. "You can, however, buy one of these properties to live in. In which case, we still advise buyers to consider renovations to avoid their property losing value because it doesn't meet the standards.

"And sellers of these should expect buyers to negotiate, or should otherwise consider works to sell for more. Some sellers will accept a reduction to move on and let the buyer undertake the renovation work.