New agreement to help with home renovations launches in Dordogne
The plan aims to connect citizens with local public renovation services to modernise old housing stock
The department identified that 50% of its homes were built before 1970, and of these, 20% were built before 1919 with many in need of updating and renovationWil Vlasveld/Shutterstock
[UPDATE: April 22: This article previously stated that this measure was not available for second homes. ADIL24 has since clarified to The Connexion that the intervention IS available for "anyone" in the Dordogne, as long as their project meets the criteria. The level of assistance will very depending on the situation and project.]
Residents in the Dordogne-Périgord area of France (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) will soon be able to benefit from extra support to renovate older houses to be more environmentally and age-friendly.
The aim is to make support (whether technical, environmental, and/or financial) accessible, impartial, and free to all residents who are working on these types of projects, in the 13 communes to which the pact applies.
The aim of the project is to connect citizens with public housing renovation service le Service Public de la Rénovation de l’Habitat (SPRH).
The support is impartial and free
It will aim to ensure residents do not get caught out by fraudsters or unscrupulous companies
“The aim [of the Pacte territorial Dordogne-Périgord] is to target as many renovations as possible,” said Dordogne prefect Marie Aubert at the presentation of the plan at the new L’Oustal premises in Périgueux.
L’Oustal is a new housing agency in the department, and brings together all the experts involved in the pact. This includes departmental housing information agency l’Agence départementale d’information sur le logement (ADIL), and architecture, urban planning and environmental council Soliha et le Conseil d’architecture, d’urbanisme et de l’environnement (CAUE).
Their responsibilities differ slightly; for example:
The department coordinates the agencies, including ADIL 24, SOLIHA, and CAUE.
ADIL 24: First port of call for the pact, for households and owners. Can be contacted on 05 53 09 89 89 or at contact@adil24.org.
CAUE: Can offer personalised advice on certain architectural, technical, and environmental questions.
SOLIHA: Can offer personalised advice on technical, financial, and social housing questions.
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The department has created a map (see below) with the main contact details for each of the communes that can benefit from the agreement, to help residents find out more, ask for advice, and get started on projects.
Advisors can also help residents to coordinate existing funding for environmentally-friendly projects, such as FranceRenov’, and MaPrimeAdapt’.
The plan’s experts can answer many types of questions relating to renovation projects, including legal, social, technical, and financial concerns, particularly those that aim to:
Reduce energy bills
Improve living comfort
Enable access to financial assistance
Contribute to the energy transition (become more environmentally-friendly).
A map of the plan and individual commune/area contactsADIL24
It comes after the department identified that 50% of its homes were built before 1970, and of these, 20% were built before 1919.
This means that a significant proportion of the department’s housing stock is in need of renovation, either to modernise them, make them more suitable for older residents, and ensure they conform to environmental standards (or all three).
Does the agreement apply to second homes?
The measure is mainly aimed at main residences.
The agreement clearly states (page 7 here) that the “intervention perimeter” only includes 118,203 private residences in the area’s 13 different communes, as of January 1, 2025, as counted by planning and environment authority DREAL, and statistics bureau INSEE.
Yet, ADIL24 told The Connexion that the agreement is "intended for anyone living in the Dordogne region".
"However, the assistance available may vary depending on various criteria, such as the occupancy status of the property (rental, primary or secondary residence), the type of work required, household income, etc," the statement continued.
This suggests that second homes can be included under the agreement, as long as they meet the other important criteria for intervention.
Communes, homes and residents that are in the agreement’s ‘catchment area’ are:
