Real estate guide

Borrowing capacity, debt-to-income ratio, down payment, 110% financing, zero-rate loan: here is everything you need to understand to finance your property purchase at the best cost, with worked examples and our free calculators.

• What is the maximum debt-to-income ratio for a mortgage?
• What salary do you need to borrow 200,000 euros?
• How can you finance your purchase at 110% (without a down payment)?
• How do you obtain your mortgage?
• Minimum deposit: how much do you really need to buy?
• Land lease scheme (BRS): income caps, reduced VAT and combining with the zero-rate loan

Choosing your notary, understanding the fees, the 10-day withdrawal period, the difference between a bilateral sale agreement and a unilateral promise, the pre-dated statement in co-ownership: the legal framework of your transaction, explained with the applicable statutes.

• How do you choose your notary for a property purchase?
• How are notary fees calculated?
• What is the withdrawal period after a sale agreement?
• What is the difference between a bilateral sale agreement and a unilateral promise to sell?
• What is a pre-dated statement in co-ownership?
• The ALUR Act: what it really requires of sellers and landlords

Selling a property in France follows precise rules: documents to gather, mandatory technical surveys, choice of mandate, setting the price, calculating what you actually keep, and the special case of an occupied property. This guide answers every key question, up to date with the law in force, to secure your sale from the first appointment to signing at the notary's office.

• Which documents are mandatory to sell a property?
• Which surveys are mandatory to sell (energy performance, asbestos, lead, termites, natural risks, electricity, gas)?
• Open mandate or exclusive mandate: what's the difference?
• How do you set the sale price of a property?
• How do you calculate the seller's net proceeds (what you keep after the sale)?
• How long does it take to sell a property?
• Can you sell a rented or occupied property?
• There is no such thing as a Hoguet floor area. Carrez or Boutin?

Buying a home often commits a lifetime's savings. Every step, from the purchase offer to signing the authenticated deed, follows precise rules of the French Civil Code, the French Construction and Housing Code and the French Consumer Code. This Briveo guide answers buyers' most frequent questions: how to make a purchase offer without trapping yourself, secure your financing through the mortgage condition precedent, buy off-plan (VEFA) with the right guarantees, assess the down payment required, mobilize aid such as the zero-rate loan (PTZ), check a co-ownership before committing and understand the cooling-off right. Each answer relies on the texts in force. Since thresholds, ceilings and rates change regularly, always verify the up-to-date amounts with official sources before deciding.

• How do you make a property purchase offer?
• What is the mortgage condition precedent?
• How do you buy off-plan (VEFA): guarantees and payment schedule?
• What minimum down payment is needed to buy a property?
• What aid is available for a first-time buyer?
• What checks should you make before buying in a co-ownership?
• Can you withdraw after a purchase offer?

The energy performance certificate (EPC, in French "DPE") and the mandatory technical diagnostics now govern every sale and every rental in France. Since the Climate and Resilience Act of 22 August 2021, the EPC has become legally binding, an energy audit is required for thermal sieves put up for sale, and a progressive timetable is banning the rental of the most energy-intensive dwellings. This guide takes stock, question by question, of what you can and must do to sell or rent a property in full compliance, drawing on the legislation in force.

• Can you sell a thermal sieve (class F or G)?
• How much does an EPC cost and how long is it valid?
• When is the energy audit mandatory at the point of sale?
• What is the timetable for banning the rental of energy-intensive dwellings?
• What are the mandatory property diagnostics?
• What to do if the EPC is erroneous?

Co-ownership (copropriété) is governed by the Act of 10 July 1965 and its implementing decree of 17 March 1967, both substantially amended by the ALUR Act of 2014 and then by the Ordinance of 30 October 2019. This guide answers the practical questions faced by co-owners, sellers and buyers: how charges are allocated, what the managing agent's role is, which majorities apply in the general meeting, what the mandatory works fund is, who pays the charges when a lot is sold, which documents must be handed to the buyer (Article L.721-2 of the French Construction and Housing Code) and what the maintenance logbook is for. Each answer draws on the legislation in force.

• How are co-ownership charges allocated?
• What is the role of the co-ownership managing agent?
• What are the majorities at a co-ownership general meeting (Articles 24, 25, 26)?
• What is the ALUR works fund in a co-ownership?
• In a co-ownership sale, who pays the charges: the seller or the buyer?
• Which co-ownership documents must be provided at the point of sale (Article L.721-2 of the CCH)?
• What is a co-ownership maintenance logbook?
• Article 26 of the Act of 10 July 1965: which decisions need the double majority?

Valuing a property means determining its market value, that is, the price at which it could reasonably be sold under normal market conditions. A reliable valuation relies on real transaction data (the DVF database from the French Public Finances Directorate, DGFiP), on a rigorous comparison method, and on taking the property's own characteristics into account: floor area, floor level, aspect, condition, and since 2021 the energy performance (the energy performance certificate, or DPE). This guide details every step and every data source so that you can arrive at a credible price range, whether you are selling, buying, or simply wish to track the value of your assets. The questions below cover official data, professional methods, and the factors that make a price per square metre vary.

• How do you value a property?
• What is DVF data (Demandes de valeurs foncières)?
• Online valuation or a professional appraisal: which to choose?
• What does the comparison method in property valuation involve?
• What factors influence the price of a property?
• How often should you re-value a property?

French property taxation relies on stable mechanisms, mostly set out in the French General Tax Code (Code général des impôts, CGI), but whose scales, allowances, ceilings and thresholds are revised regularly by the Finance Act. This guide explains the durable principles of each property tax: how capital gains and their allowances for length of ownership are calculated, the exemption for the main residence, LMNP status, the choice between the micro-foncier and the actual-expenses regime, the property deficit mechanism, how property tax is calculated, and the taxation of gifts and inheritances. For every figure liable to change, always check the scale applicable to the year of the transaction with impots.gouv.fr, the tax authority's official doctrine (BOFiP) or your notaire. No figure cited here should be treated as timeless.

• How is property capital gain calculated and its allowances for length of ownership?
• The capital gains exemption on the main residence: how does it work?
• What is LMNP status (non-professional furnished rental) and how is it taxed?
• Rental income: should you choose the micro-foncier or the actual regime?
• The property deficit: what is the principle and how is it offset?
• How is property tax calculated?
• How are a property gift and a property inheritance taxed?
• Malraux scheme (VIR): what tax reduction for restoring an old building?
• See the 5 other questions

The mandate is the contract that authorizes a real estate agency to sell your property. It is strictly governed by the Hoguet Act (Act No. 70-9 of 2 January 1970) and its implementing decree (Decree No. 72-678 of 20 July 1972). This guide clearly distinguishes what the law requires (professional license, written mandate, mention of the remuneration, regulation of the exclusivity clause) from what falls under mere negotiable clauses of your contract (amount of the commission, initial duration). Before signing, always check what your mandate says: some rules presented as legal are in reality contractual, and conversely, some legal protections are overlooked by sellers.

• What is the difference between a simple, exclusive and semi-exclusive mandate?
• What is the Hoguet Act and the professional license (T license)?
• How do I terminate a real estate mandate (simple or exclusive)?
• What is the duration of a real estate mandate and how does renewal work?
• Agency commission: who pays it, how is it set and negotiated?
• The viewing slip: what is its real legal weight?

Renting a dwelling used as a primary residence is governed by Act No. 89-462 of 6 July 1989, deeply reshaped by the ALUR Act of 24 March 2014. This framework is a matter of public policy: landlord and tenant cannot depart from it by contract, even by mutual agreement. The law distinguishes two regimes: the unfurnished rental (Title I of the Act) and the furnished rental (Title I bis, Articles 25-3 to 25-11), which differ on the lease duration, the amount of the security deposit, the notice period, and the treatment of charges. This guide answers the questions most frequently asked by tenants and landlords: amount and return of the security deposit, notice period for leaving, recoverable charges and their reconciliation, rent revision and rent control in tight-supply areas, duration and content of the lease, and inventory of fixtures at move-in and move-out. Each answer cites the applicable articles of law and flags the rules that change over time (zoning, rent controls, energy-performance timetables), so that you can always check the version in force.

• Security deposit: what is the maximum amount and the return deadline?
• What notice period to leave your home: 1 month or 3 months?
• Which charges can the landlord recover from the tenant and how are they reconciled?
• How to revise a rent: the IRL index and rent control in tight-supply areas
• What is the duration of a rental lease and what must it contain?
• Move-in and move-out inventory of fixtures: rules, deadlines and consequences

The French overseas territories combine tight real estate markets, massive housing needs and tax incentives unique in France, but also specific legal rules and fast-changing schemes: the overseas Pinel scheme ended at the close of 2024, the Girardin scheme is subject to strict conditions, and securing property title remains a major issue in Mayotte and French Guiana. This Briveo guide sets out the stable principles (the appeal of overseas markets, how the Girardin scheme works, the legal specifics of buying, how to read prices, an overview of tax incentives) and systematically refers you to the official texts to check the scheme and the scale in force in the year of your investment.

• Why and how should you invest in real estate in the French overseas territories?
• How does the Girardin tax-reduction scheme work in the French overseas territories?
• What are the legal specifics of a real estate purchase in the French overseas territories?
• Which tax-reduction schemes apply to a rental investment in the French overseas territories?
• How can you find out real estate prices in the French overseas territories?
• Does the overseas Pinel scheme still exist?

The hidden defects warranty protects the buyer of a property against serious flaws that a viewing could not reveal: dry rot, concealed structural cracks, recurring water infiltration. Based on Articles 1641 et seq. of the French Civil Code, it is subject to strict conditions and precise deadlines. This guide explains, with the legal texts to hand, what a hidden defect is, how to act, what exclusion clauses are worth, and how seller and buyer can each secure their position.

• What is a hidden defect in French real estate?
• What is the deadline for a hidden defects claim in France?
• What remedies does the buyer have for a hidden defect?
• Does the hidden defects exclusion clause always protect the seller?
• Hidden defect, fraud or non-conforming delivery: what are the differences?
• Do mandatory property surveys protect against hidden defects?
• Seller: how do you protect yourself against a hidden defects claim?

A viager sale converts the value of a property into an initial lump sum, the bouquet, and a life annuity paid to the seller for the rest of their life. This aleatory contract follows precise rules of the French Civil Code and the French General Tax Code: calculating the annuity, the occupancy discount, the taxable fraction, the grounds for nullity, and what happens to the annuity on resale or death. This guide answers the key questions, up to date with the law in force, so you can sell or buy en viager with complete security.

• How does a viager sale work?
• How is the annuity of a viager sale calculated?
• How is the life annuity taxed for the seller?
• Occupied viager or free viager: what are the differences?
• What are the risks of a viager and when can the sale be annulled?
• Can a viager be resold, and what happens to the annuity if the buyer dies?

Selling a property in France often means clearing one or more preemption rights: the municipality's right in urban areas, the SAFER's right in rural areas, or the priority right of the sitting tenant. Declaration of intent to sell, two-month response period, price challenges before the expropriation judge, sanctions in the event of an oversight: this guide details every step, with the legal texts to back it up, to secure your sale from the preliminary agreement to the notarial deed.

• What is the urban preemption right and which properties does it cover?
• What is the DIA and how long does the municipality have to respond?
• The municipality is preempting my property: can I accept, withdraw or challenge the price?
• What priority right does the tenant have when the landlord sells the dwelling?
• How does the SAFER preemption right work in rural areas?
• What are the risks of a sale concluded in breach of a preemption right?

A right of way, a neighbour's window, a pipe crossing the plot: easements (servitudes) are burdens imposed on one property for the benefit of another. Governed by Articles 637 et seq. of the French Civil Code, they pass with the property and can weigh heavily on both its value and its use. This guide explains how they arise, how they are exercised, how to check for them before buying, and how they come to an end.

• What is an easement (servitude) in French property law?
• How do you obtain a right of way for landlocked land in France?
• What distances apply to a window or view over the neighbouring property in France?
• Can an easement be acquired by prescription in France?
• How do you check for easements before buying a property in France?
• How does an easement end, and how can it be challenged?

Buying, holding or inheriting a property with others always raises the same question: unstructured joint ownership (indivision) or an organized société civile immobilière (SCI, the French property holding company)? This guide covers both regimes: the decision-making rules of joint ownership, the ways out of it, selling without everyone's consent, setting up an SCI, an honest comparison of the two formulas, family transmission through gifts of shares, and taxation under income tax or corporate tax, every answer being grounded in the legislation in force.

• How does joint property ownership (indivision) work in France?
• How do you exit joint property ownership (indivision)?
• Can you sell a jointly owned property without every co-owner's consent?
• How do you set up an SCI to buy property in France?
• SCI or joint ownership: which should you choose to buy with others?
• Family SCI: how do you pass property on to your children?
• How is an SCI taxed: income tax or corporate tax?

Passing on a property in France, during your lifetime or on death, follows precise civil and tax rules: allowances and tax scale, mandatory notarial deed, splitting ownership between usufruct and bare ownership, joint ownership between heirs, protection of the surviving spouse, filing deadlines. This guide answers the key questions of property transmission, citing the applicable French legislation for every answer, so you can prepare or settle an estate with full security.

• How much inheritance tax do you pay on a property in France?
• How do you gift a property during your lifetime in France?
• How do you gift the bare ownership of a property and keep the usufruct?
• How do you sell an inherited property in France?
• What rights does the surviving spouse have over the family home?
• What are the costs and deadlines of a property inheritance in France?

Party-wall rules govern the sharing of a wall, a hedge, or a fence between two neighbouring properties. The French Civil Code (Articles 653 to 673) sets out presumptions, rights of use, and precise maintenance duties, as well as the planting distances to observe along the boundary line. This guide answers every key question to prevent neighbour disputes and secure your works, from the shared wall to the boundary hedge.

• What does it mean for a wall to be a party wall?
• Who pays for repairing a party wall?
• Can you build against or raise a party wall?
• Are you required to fence your land?
• What distances must you observe when planting a tree near the boundary?
• Are a hedge or a tree on the boundary jointly owned?

Noise, a blocked view, smells, smoke, branches hanging over the fence: neighbour disputes often start with ordinary use that has become excessive. The law distinguishes mere inconveniences, which everyone must put up with, from abnormal nuisance, which gives rise to a right to compensation. Since the Act of 15 April 2024, this standalone regime of no-fault liability has been codified in Article 1253 of the French Civil Code. This guide explains what abnormal nuisance is, how noise, loss of view or sunlight, smells and vegetation are characterised, how to gather evidence and take action, and what sanctions the court can impose.

• What is abnormal neighbourhood nuisance?
• Noise and sound nuisance: what does the law say and what remedies are available?
• Loss of view or sunlight: can you be compensated?
• Smells, smoke and encroaching vegetation: what are your rights?
• How can a neighbourhood nuisance be proved and taken to court?
• What sanctions and remedies apply to a neighbourhood nuisance?

Before you build, extend or sell, French town planning law imposes precise rules: which authorisation to apply for depending on the surface area, how to file a building permit, which works require only a declaration, how a third party can challenge an authorisation, what a town planning certificate is for, what an unlawful construction risks, and how to secure a sale. This guide answers every question, up to date with the French Town Planning Code (Code de l'urbanisme) in force.

• Building permit or prior declaration: which one do you need?
• How do you obtain a building permit?
• Which works require a prior declaration?
• How can a third party challenge a building permit?
• What is a town planning certificate for?
• What does a construction without a permit or non-compliant risk?
• Building permit and sale: what should you check?