What the law says
The CIL is designed to follow the home from owner to owner: it is created by the owner and handed over on any transfer of ownership, whether for value or not (sale, gift, inheritance), at the latest when the deed is signed. A letting is not a transfer of ownership: nothing requires handing the logbook to the tenant, or even telling them it exists.
Mind the nuance: if your rental home is subject to the CIL (new since 2023, or energy works since 2023), the obligation to create it remains; it attaches to the home, not to its occupancy. The logbook will be required at the next sale, sitting tenant or not.
What the landlord must really provide
| Document | When |
|---|---|
| DPE | From the listing (energy rating displayed) and annexed to the lease. |
| Technical survey file | Annexed to the lease: DPE, natural risks, lead where applicable, electricity/gas depending on the installations' age, asbestos kept available. |
| Decency criteria | Including the energy performance threshold: the most energy-hungry homes are progressively leaving the French rental market (Climate and Resilience law timetable). |
| Inventory, rent receipts, service charge statements | Throughout the lease. |
Why organised landlords keep a logbook anyway
Not out of obligation, out of interest:
- Maintenance on rails: boiler, ventilation, chimney sweeping, the deadlines follow themselves, the certificates are filed. Useful too in a dispute over tenant maintenance.
- Faster claims: water damage? The network plan, the plumber's 2024 invoice and the dated photos are already in one place for the insurer.
- Stress-free tax season: deductible works invoices are findable in April, not scattered across three inboxes.
- Always ready to sell: a rented home sells one day. A current logbook turns a documentary chore into a simple PDF export.
Relai Confiance tracks each home: interventions, documents, upcoming servicing with reminders, spending by category. Multi-property, PDF export, read-only sharing with your property manager.