The process of buying a property in France is very structured and well regulated. When buying a French house, the buyer is as well protected as they are with an English purchase.

THE BUYING PROCESS IN FRANCE

Once you have had an offer accepted on a property, you and the vendor will be asked to sign a sale agreement (compromis de vente). This is a legally binding contract between vendor and purchaser which lays out the conditions on which the sale has been agreed. Once this agreement is signed, there is a seven day cooling off period, after which this agreement becomes legally binding.

The sale agreement usually includes:

• Details of the purchaser, the vendor, the estate agent, and if a loan is required, the Bank.
• Details of the Notaire dealing with the sale
• A description of the property with a land plan attached
• Reports as to Lead, Asbestos, Wood insects especially Termites, also Flood or other risks within the location, and condition of fixed Gas & Electricity installations.
• The vendors net purchase price, the agency fees (incl. VAT), the Notaire's fees, & any loan fees, thus giving a total of expenditure.
• Conditions of agreement: There are Statutory Conditions of Sale, plus any others specific to the property, or transaction. Statutory items include searches to the effect that it is the purchasers to sell / that any loans on it are repaid / that the property can be used for its' designated purpose / that there are no rights of way / and that there are no current planning matters that would affect the property.

A purchaser can request additional items, such as outline permission to convert or alter a building. If a loan is required, this must be stated , and the purchase is then subject to the loan being approved. If one or more of the conditions are not fulfilled, then the transaction can be anulled.

Usually one Notaire carries out all the Legalities, but if required, separate Notaires can act for vendor and purchaser, and the same fee is divided between them. We can advise if you wish to use a fully bi-lingual Notaire. Also, some purchasers request a UK Solicitor to oversee the transaction for them, and this is at additional cost to the French Notaires fees.

Each transaction and purchaser has its' own specific criteria, therefore the above should only be taken as an outline of a general procedure.

Quick property search