LIST: See what state aid is available to repair home goods in France

France is to increase the amount of state aid available to repair household items and extend the list of items eligible for repair as part of its ‘bonus réparation’ scheme. The new list is given below.

From January 1, 2024, the amount available will rise - and double, in some cases - and 24 new types of items will also become eligible.

How does the scheme work?

The scheme has been in place since December 15, 2022, and enables the public to take broken items to be repaired at participating repair shops or workshops (those with the ‘QualiRépar’ label).

It offers financial aid to cover up to 20% of the cost and aims to reduce waste by encouraging people to repair items rather than to buy them ones.

Currently, the amount available is between €20-90 depending on the item and the cost of repair.

Why is the amount and list being increased?

The aim is to make the scheme more useful and attractive, especially as it has not proven popular yet. Of the €63 million budgeted for the scheme in 2023, only €1.2 million has been used.

Increases in the amount available

From January 1, 2024, the amount available will double for four types of large appliances.

• TVs: €30 to €60

• Washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers: €25 to €50

For hoovers, the amount will almost triple:

• Hoovers: €15 to €40

Other products will benefit from an extra €5 in aid. These are:

• Laptops

• Freestanding ovens

• Built-in ovens (excluding microwaves)

• Extractor hoods

• Kettles

• Toasters

• Juicers

• Blenders and extractors

• Filter coffee machines

• Irons

• Hand-held hair straighteners

• Amplifiers

• Hi-fi systems

• Mixing desks

• Home cinema systems

• DVD players

• TV recorders

• Tuners

• Electric screwdrivers

• Drones.

Extended list of products eligible for repair

The list of appliances eligible for the scheme will be extended to include 24 new items of electrical and electronic equipment. This will bring the total number of eligible products to 73.

The newly-added items are:

• Epilators (€15 available for repair);

• Hair straighteners (€15)

• Electric razors (€15);

• Hair clippers (€15);

• Hairdryers (€15);

• Microwave ovens (€20)

• Table-top ovens (€15);

• Deep fryers (€15);

• Multifunction food processors (€15);

• Food processors (€25);

• Heated food processors (€30);

• Humidifiers (€15);

• Steam cleaners (€20);

• Air purifiers (€15);

• Mobile air conditioners (€25);

• Fans (€15);

• Desktop computers (€50);

• Printers (€35)

• Scanners (€35)

• Monitors (€30)

• Landline telephones (€15);

• Power tools (€20).

For desktop computers, printers and scanners, the repair scheme will only kick in from €150 of the invoice value (including VAT). For monitors, the threshold will be €100.

Accidental breakage and remote repairs to be covered

Also from January 1, 2024, items will also be eligible due to ‘accidental breakage’, and this will include broken smartphone screens (eligible for up to €25).

Read more: How to get financial help to repair a smartphone in France

Lastly, from February 1, 2024, any repairs carried out remotely will be covered by the scheme (for example, if you send your device off to be repaired). Until now, only repairs physically taken to a workshop of a participating repairer, or at home directly by a participating professional, have been eligible for the subsidy.

Mr Béchu also said that he is almost aiming to simplify the certification procedure, to make it easier for people to get the Quali Répar label, and increase the number of repairers nationwide.

He said: “We want to increase the number from 4,000 to 7,500 over the course of 2024, rising to 22,000 by the end of 2026.”

You can find the official list of agreed repairers, and search for those near you, via the website Annuaire-qualite par.ecosystem.eco.

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