Short answer: since 11 August 2026, a business in France may no longer phone a consumer for prospecting unless it has first obtained that person's consent. For a real estate agent, cold-calling the owner behind a private-sale listing (the practice known in French as the "pige") is now risky, and the burden is on the agent to prove the call was allowed. What remains are channels that do not rely on cold calls: referrals, professional partners (notaries, wealth advisers, mortgage brokers), local content, online valuation forms with a consent box, and LinkedIn for professionals.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice. The texts change, and your situation (independent agent, franchise, network) may change the answer. It concerns French rules; check the rules of your own country if you work elsewhere.
What changed on 11 August 2026?
Phone prospecting moved from opt-out to opt-in. Until 10 August, a consumer who did not want sales calls had to register on the Bloctel list. Since 11 August, every prospecting call is forbidden until the person has said yes.
The French consumer-protection authority (DGCCRF) puts it this way on its page for businesses: phoning a consumer without having first collected their consent is forbidden, and the new regime ends Bloctel (DGCCRF, "Les règles du démarchage téléphonique s'imposant aux entreprises", written 27 July 2026, accessed 5 October 2026, in French). The page lists law no. 2025-594 of 30 June 2025 and decree no. 2026-662 of 23 July 2026 as the legal texts.
Only two exceptions appear on the page: a call tied to a contract in progress, and prospecting for newspapers and magazines. Neither covers the search for a sales mandate.
What exactly applies to a prospecting call?
The DGCCRF page sets out several concrete obligations. These are the ones that touch an agent directly:
| Point | What the DGCCRF page says |
|---|---|
| Consent | Free, specific, informed, unambiguous, revocable, given by a clear positive act |
| Validity | One year at most; can be withdrawn at any time, including orally |
| Proof | Keep for at least 3 years: date, time, information given |
| Days and hours | Monday to Friday except public holidays, 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 20:00 |
| Frequency | No more than 4 calls in 30 days to the same consumer |
| Caller ID | Hidden numbers are forbidden |
| Penalties | Up to €75,000 per call for an individual, €375,000 for a legal entity |
According to the page, consent may have been collected "at a purchase, during a store visit or through a form" (our translation), and the business must be able to prove it. A listing posted on a private-sale site is not consent to be called by an agency: the owner is selling a home, not asking to be solicited.
One point needs a lawyer's confirmation. The page speaks of "consumers", and a private individual selling their home normally falls into that category. If you work through a network, ask its legal department too, since it probably has a position already.
What does the data protection authority say about the "pige" itself?
The CNIL spoke on the subject before the reform. In 2020, after inspections, it reminded companies specialised in the "pige immobilière" (scanning online listings and scraping the contact details of the people who posted them) that this data, "although publicly accessible", is personal data and "is not freely reusable" (our translation, CNIL, 30 April 2020, accessed 5 October 2026, in French).
It found three failings: people were not told where their data came from, they had not consented before receiving electronic messages or automated calls, and their right to object was ignored. It also noted that some websites forbid scraping their listings in their terms of use, in which case the practice is not allowed.
That page predates the phone reform. Switching collection tools does not answer the question of where the data comes from.
Which channels remain open for finding sellers?
Those that rely on a step taken by the person, or on a third party who knows them. None replaces the volume of the old pige, and it is better to say so plainly: referrals and partners bring fewer contacts, but better qualified ones.
- Referrals. Past clients, neighbours in your area, local shopkeepers. Ask at the end of every sale, in writing, while the memory is good.
- Professional partners. Notaries, wealth advisers, mortgage brokers, diagnostic surveyors. They see inheritances, separations and projects before a listing exists.
- Local content. A weekly post on your town's market, a sample valuation, a "value my home" page with a form. The form is exactly where valid consent can be collected: unticked box, clear purpose, stated duration.
- Listings and local visibility. Your own sold properties, your signs, your client reviews bring sellers to you.
- LinkedIn, for part of the sellers only, as explained below.
What can LinkedIn do, and what can it not do?
LinkedIn lets you contact professionals. It does not let you find every seller in an area. The network is full of managers, business owners, professionals and referral partners. A retiree selling the family house is not there, or no longer active.
Two targets are useful. The first is referral partners, with whom a lasting relationship is possible. The second is managers on the move: a job change 300 kilometres away often comes with a sale. Our guide to real estate prospecting on LinkedIn covers these targets and the searches to use.
On the legal side, the CNIL separates electronic prospecting by recipient. For a private individual it requires prior consent; for a professional, prospecting can rest on legitimate interest "when the subject of the approach relates to the profession of the person contacted", with information and a chance to object (CNIL, 10 June 2026, accessed 5 October 2026, in French). A message to a notary about exchanging cases falls in the second category. A message to a homeowner who asked for nothing is more uncertain: the CNIL pages we read do not say whether a private message on a social network counts as an electronic message. When in doubt, stick to professionals and have a lawyer check your practice before writing to private individuals.
One more reminder: LinkedIn's terms forbid third-party automation tools, browser extensions included (LinkedIn Help, accessed 5 October 2026). Our LinkedIn limits page explains how to limit the risk to your account.
How do you write to referral partners without annoying them?
By offering a specific exchange of service rather than a presentation of your agency. Three openings that hold up over time:
Hello [First name], I help homeowners in [Town] with sales and often come across inheritance or separation cases. If that happens on your side, I would be glad to show you my valuation method in ten minutes, no strings attached.
Hello [First name], I am looking to get to know two or three brokers in [Town] to exchange cases both ways. Would you be open to a coffee before the end of the month?
Hello [First name], I saw your post on [Topic]. I am preparing a note on the [Town] market for the fourth quarter and would gladly send it if it can help your clients.
The first name is the only reliable variable; the brackets are yours to fill by hand. Our 15 message templates for real estate agents offer more, by target.
What limit should you keep in mind?
No channel excuses you from saying who you are, where the contact details came from and how to refuse. Our article on LinkedIn prospecting and GDPR goes through these points.
Keep reading
- Real estate prospecting on LinkedIn: finding mandates
- LinkedIn message templates for real estate agents
- LinkedIn follow-up messages: timing and 12 templates
- Sales Farmer for real estate agents
FAQ
Is the "pige immobilière" banned since 11 August 2026?
Not as a whole: what is forbidden is prospecting phone calls to a consumer without prior consent. Spotting listings remains possible, but the contact details collected are personal data that cannot be reused freely, according to the CNIL.
Has a person who posted a listing consented to be called?
No. The DGCCRF asks for a clear positive act, covering the caller's identity and the purpose of the call. Posting a listing to sell a home is not one.
How long must proof of consent be kept?
At least three years, with the date, the time and the information shown to the person, according to the DGCCRF page. The consent itself is valid for one year at most.
What fine can a business face?
The DGCCRF states up to €75,000 per call for an individual and €375,000 for a legal entity. These are ceilings, not automatic amounts.
Can you write to private individuals on LinkedIn?
The official sources we consulted do not settle it. The CNIL requires consent for electronic prospecting of private individuals without specifying the case of a private message on a social network. Have a lawyer check your practice.
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