Top tips for buying a house in France

Posted 11/11/2014

A few tips when buying a house in France:

• When viewing it is fine to sign a bon de visite, which is to confirm that you saw a specific property through that agent and does not constitute any contract .

• The rules of French inheritance law and tax are different from the situation in the UK.  It is imperative to make an analysis of your situation, from both UK and French perspective, before committing.

• There are strict lending criteria in France, that restrict the amount of available finance.  If you need a mortgage its terms should be established in the initial contract.

• You may find it prudent to discuss currency exchange through money transfer companies, to negotiate preferable rates of exchange.  You should understand how, what and when they charge, and ensure that they are fully regulated and authorised.

• If you are selling your existing property and moving to France permanently you should note it is extremely difficult to synchronise the two transactions. It is therefore generally advisable to have some form of contingency plan.

• Some contracts include translations, but these are not always accurate. If there were any disputes the French version would prevail. Therefore any translation can only ever be treated as a guide.

• Contracts used for the sale of existing properties fall into four main categories: the compromis de vente, the promesse de vente, the promesse d’achat and the contrat de réservation. All have slightly different effects, and you need to be careful that any documents you are invited to sign are suitable.

• The contract is likely to be conditional on various issues being clarified.  You should understand what these are, and when and how they will be cleared.

• If you have any intention to develop, consider if any authorisation or planning permission is required.  Such questions may well slow the sale process down, and some sellers may be reluctant to include a condition for a planning permission, but the risk of a permission being refused is important to contemplate – would you still want to buy?

• Ask a specialist solicitor to advise on the purchase.

For individual advice, please contact Matthew Cameron on 01284 727016 or email matthew.cameron@ashtonslegal.co.uk

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