Couple must reimburse €400,000 for French home that cannot be lived in
The problem was only discovered after the property had been sold
The issues arose with the property despite the sale having been done professionally through notaires
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A couple who sold their ‘duplex apartment’ property to new owners must reimburse the buyers €400,000 after the latter discovered that they cannot live in the home.
The original couple first bought the apartment in Villeurbanne (near Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) in 2010, and sold it in 2017.
Six months later, however, the new buyers discovered that the property does not conform to building regulations, and can only be used as a commercial building, and not for residential living. This means that the new owners cannot legally live in the property.
This is despite the sale having been arranged and undertaken by estate agency professionals and qualified notaires.
Read also: 13 things you can do through a French notaire apart from buy a house
Read also: Explainer: Role of notaire in France and what to do if not happy
‘Is this a joke?’
“When I received this [the notice of the building permit rules], I could not believe it, because everything had been run past the notaires,” said one of the property sellers, to BFMTV. “I asked myself, is this a joke?”
The sellers and new owners have been embroiled in legal wrangling since the discovery of the issue almost eight years ago. The sellers have also likened the notaire and estate agents’ work to a scam, because they did not, at any point, raise the issue during the transaction.
The court of appeal has now cancelled the sale, and the sellers must pay €400,000 to the buyers within four months.
Reimbursements and financial strain
The notaires that worked on the sale must reimburse the original couple - Olivier and Laurence - a total of €32,000, and the SCI (property company) that initially sold the home was also ordered to refund the original amount that the couple paid for it in 2017, which was €240,000.
However, this company has since entered insolvency leaving the couple facing a large financial shortfall.
“I am selling my house to pay off my debts, because I am an honest person,” said Laurence, in tears, to BFMTV. “But all of the money will go off to pay the debts, so I am now homeless.”
An online crowdfund has been launched to help the couple.
