Boilers 4-400 kW — annual servicing and flue sweeping (France)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For anyone responsible for a boiler in France: the occupant of a dwelling with an individual system, the owner or managing agent of a collective one, a company with a boiler room below 400 kW. The kit gathers the compulsory annual servicing of boilers between 4 and 400 kW with its certificate, the split of responsibility between occupant and owner, the qualification required of whoever performs it, the sweeping of the flue and the ban on installing new oil-fired boilers. Boilers above 400 kW and heat pumps live in the kit dedicated to heating installations. It helps you meet the deadlines; it does not replace the service contract.
Questions about this product?
Ask what is in the manuals, how often the maintenance is due and what it takes to do it.
What it already has at hand
- No manual on this page
- 6 planned checks, the most frequent every 12 months since the last job
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 12/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
Entrust the servicing to a qualified professional
The annual servicing cannot be done by just anyone: the decree refers to the professional qualification set out in article 16 of law 96-603 of 5 July 1996, that is, to activities requiring a qualification or the supervision of a qualified person. The control means checking, when signing or renewing the contract, that the chosen firm falls into that category and that the certificate carries its details. The duty to do so lies with whoever commissions the visit: occupant, owner or managing agent.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationDécret n° 2009-649 du 9 juin 2009 ; loi n° 96-603 du 5 juillet 1996, art. 16France onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 02
Have the boiler flue swept
The flue and its connecting pipe must be swept at least once a year; for collective appliances the 2023 reform sets a higher frequency, with at least one visit during the heating season. The professional issues a sweeping certificate, which the insurer asks for after a fire. Note: decree 2023-641 could not be re-verified against a primary source during the research (Légifrance was unreachable), so the exact frequency for your installation should be confirmed against the text. The duty falls on the occupant for an individual system, on the owner or managing agent for a collective one.
every 12 months since the last jobLegal obligationDécret n° 2023-641 du 20 juillet 2023 ; arrêté du 20 juillet 2023France only - 03
Have the boiler serviced once a year
Boilers with an output between 4 and 400 kW must be serviced once every calendar year: inspection of the appliance, cleaning and adjustment, assessment of efficiency and pollutants, advice on use. The deadline is the calendar year and not twelve months from the last visit: having it done in November does not move next year’s date. At the end the professional issues a certificate, which is the proof of compliance and must be kept.
every year by 31 DecemberLegal obligationDécret n° 2009-649 du 9 juin 2009 ; arrêté du 15 septembre 2009France onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 04
Check the ban before replacing an oil-fired boiler
The event that triggers this control is the replacement of the boiler. Since 1 July 2022 an oil-fired boiler can no longer be installed in an existing dwelling: the implementing text is the decree of 5 January 2022, published in the Journal officiel of 6 January 2022, adopted under law 2021-1104 (loi Climat et résilience), which is the framework and not the implementing text. On removal, practice is to have the tank neutralised or degassed by a professional: that step is not confirmed by the source consulted and should be checked with the contractor. It is for the owner of the installation to find out.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationDécret du 5 janvier 2022 (JO du 6 janvier 2022) ; loi n° 2021-1104 du 22 août 2021France only - 05
Keep certificates, records and the manual in one place
Annual servicing, flue sweeping, repairs and the manufacturer’s manual usually end up in three different places, and when it is time to sell the property or argue a claim, none of them can be found. This line asks you to gather them in a single file, on paper or digital, updated at every intervention. It is an organisational practice proposed by the kit and not a statutory duty; it is for whoever manages the installation.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsCompany ruleFrance only - 06
Establish who must have the servicing done
For an individual system the duty falls on the occupant of the dwelling, unless the tenancy agreement says otherwise; for a collective system it falls on the owner or on the managing agent of the co-owners. This is the distinction that loses the most deadlines, because tenant and owner each assume the other is dealing with it. The control is there to put in writing who orders the visit and who keeps the certificate, before the heating season starts.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationDécret n° 2009-649 du 9 juin 2009France onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026
In Germany this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United Kingdom this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United States this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
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