Home ownership

Is it difficult to switch home insurance companies in France?

Long-term contracts are more easily cancelled, particularly for renters

‘Check your rent is not too high’: Mixed reaction to new Paris poster

The campaign contributes to the ‘clichéd, outdated caricature of the chubby, arrogant landlord’, one property specialist says

Proposal to make homeowners pay back state renovation aid if they sell within ten years

The amount repayable drops for every year the owners remain in the home

practical

Should I include appliances in a French house insurance estimate?

When taking out a home cover policy, you are asked to calculate the approximate value of the property

Brittany is the region which has most newcomers in France

A quarter of new arrivals come from the Paris area. Britons remain most numerous foreign group

Normandy senator: British homeowners should not be penalised by Brexit

Britons are ‘perfectly integrated’, says politician who presented automatic visa scheme to the senators

Notaires offer free auditing service for French properties

Notaires in Toulouse and nearby departments want to help sellers improve chances of striking a good deal

Is it true that squatters can sue property owners in France?

A new ‘anti-squatting’ law that tightened regulations was recently passed by the government

French property form deadline put off for another 24 hours

Plus, we look at what to do if you still struggle to complete the biens immobiliers declaration in time

Boost for homeowners in France as anti-squatter law gets green light

France’s constitutional council has approved harsher penalties for squatters in main and second homes

€1.6bn boost for homeowners, fast food row: 5 French property updates

Plus government reported to be looking at making sale of energy-inefficient homes conditional on improvement works

Updated: Your questions answered on France’s new form for homeowners

Can the declaration only be completed online? Why am I being asked to declare something? Is this a new annual obligation? All of this and more

Tax Airbnb rentals more, demand French MPs

A cross-party group of French MPs claim short-term rentals are fuelling a housing crisis in parts of France

France wants to expand AI use to find undeclared verandas and sheds

French tax authorities already use artificial intelligence to find undeclared swimming pools. Now they want to take that a step further

Must British holiday home-owners with cars here get a French licence?

Residents in France with UK licences issued before 2021 do not have to swap them unless it is lost, stolen, or about to expire

Downsizers: We swapped our big house in France for modern - and modest

Property priorities can change. We talk to three sets of people who have swapped country piles for something smaller and easier to manage

French property owners’ taxe foncière bills up 27.9% in ten years

Landlords’ group has flagged a steady rise three times higher than rents or inflation in the period 2010-2020, although rises this year are fairly contained

Taxe foncière property tax in France: What exemptions exist?

This tax is payable by property owners but individuals can benefit from an exemption or reduction depending on their situation and the nature of the building or land

Marseille joins other French cities to impose maximum second home tax

The city’s municipal council is looking to increase a taxe d’habitation surcharge from 20-60% to encourage owners to return properties to the rental market

Landowner in France left with €40,000 costs after squatters evicted

Multiple families occupied the site in Nantes for more than a year before leaving in August. We look at new laws around squatting in France and what to do if it happens to you

83 new main homes created in Occitanie every day for past 50 years

The number of second homes quadrupled in the same period and overall the trend has been for larger detached homes with fewer inhabitants per household, new statistics show

How to check what help is available to renovate property in France

Advice and financial aid for residents and second-home owners is on offer at a national and a local level. Here's how to find out more

Where in France can you negotiate the most on property prices?

Bourgogne, Lorraine, and Brittany topped the regions for the best negotiation deals, but other regions are less so

Homeowner wins court case over woodpile

Saskia Wanrooij, 68, was taken to court by the town council when she refused to remove a woodpile at her back door

Do not disturb hibernating bats expert in France advises

The small mammals are usually found in basements, attics and cellars; but residents are warned to avoid approaching or catching them

Brittany: Homebuyers sign contracts accepting country life

A new clause in contracts for homebuyers in Morbihan confirms they will accept the sights, sounds and smells of country life

Tax on French homes: Where has it risen the most?

The taxe foncière has risen by over a third in the past decade. We explain why, and where in France is the worst affected.

Must I inform the mairie when I buy a home in France?

We explain whether registering at the mairie is a legal obligation, or just a good idea, when you move into a new commune in France

Airbnb rules in Paris upheld by European Court of Justice

The European Court of Justice has found in favour of French regulations that require landlords to obtain approval from the Mairie before listing their properties on rental sites such as Airbnb.

Linky meters in France: can I refuse instalment?

A lawyer answers a reader question on whether or not they have the right to refuse the instalment of Linky electricity meters in France.

Squatters changed locks in French holiday home

Pregnant woman and children among family illegally occupying property on south coast of France

Property in France post-Covid: Outdoor space a priority

House buyers in France are still prioritising urban centres despite predictions that countryside homes would become more popular after confinement - although balconies and terraces are becoming more sought after.

House in France struck by lightning? How to claim

Homeowners in France looking to claim on insurance after their home is hit by lightning in a storm may be required to obtain an " attestation de foudroiement" to do so. We explain what this is, and how to get one.

France confinement: Are DIY goods ‘necessary items’?

Since confinement was imposed in France on March 17, and all “non-essential” shops were closed, there have been further questions about what police consider “essential”. We answer a question on DIY goods.

France legalises all remote notaire sales signatures

Notaires in France can now organise signatures on property deed documents remotely so as to avoid unnecessary contact during the Covid-19 crisis, allowing house sales and property deals to go ahead.

France raises taxes on large garden sheds

Taxes for new, large garden sheds and other outhouse buildings belonging to private properties in France have risen in 2020, it has been confirmed.

France warned over rise of costly building scams

Scams by emergency builders, plumbers and locksmiths are on the rise in France - with the average scam bill reaching as much as €3,000 - the national fraud office has warned.

Paris mayor warns Olympics of Airbnb sponsor ‘risks’

The mayor of Paris has warned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of the “risks” of short-term rental firm Airbnb, after the company was announced as a new sponsor of the Olympics Games.

New plans for Nantes airport confirmed

Nantes Atlantique airport is to receive changes to operations - including fewer night flights, and a longer runway - the French junior transport minister has announced.

Tallest ever ‘eco’ wooden building opens in France

The tallest apartment building ever to be made almost entirely of wood in France has opened in Strasbourg, aiming to show the eco-friendliness of the construction method.

France rules sellers must reveal nightmare neighbours

House sellers in France who do not let potential buyers know about noisy or problematic neighbours now face cancellation of the sale completely.

Gloves off! World Naked Gardening Day is tomorrow

Tomorrow (Saturday May 4) is World Naked Gardening Day, which takes place each year on the first Saturday in May, and invites gardeners to garden nude, in a move to appreciate their own bodies.

France launches €30m plan to reduce resident TGV noise

A new €30 million project to reduce the noise of high-speed train lines in France has been launched after residents complained of the negative impact it is having on their lives.

France homeowners warned on forest fire land clearing

Homeowners in France are reminded that in some regions and for certain properties, it is a legal requirement to carry out a “brush clearing” of surrounding countryside land, to help prevent forest fires.

French château owner wins €700k payout from LGV line

The owner of a château in the Sarthe department has won more than €700,000 in compensation after successfully claiming that a nearby LGV train route has caused a loss in overall value of the property.

Web game with €1.5m French property prize is legal

Lawyers acting for the property's owners tell Connexion the €13-to-enter web-based competition to win a large property in southwest France is above board

French couple sell €1.5m property via €13 lottery game

A €1.5 million, 450m2 gîte property with a pool is being sold in Périgord (Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine) via an online lottery game that costs just €13 to enter, and which is still open to entries.

More revealed on illegal €57m Provence Château Diter

More details have come to light on how the Château Diter - the €57m Côte d’Azur château that French authorities have ordered to be torn down - was able to grow to such an extent in the first place.

European white goods reclassified on new energy scale

White goods sold in France (and the EU) from March 2021 are to feature an updated “energy rating” sticker, with the current classifications of “A+”, “A++” and “A+++” replaced by a new scale from A to G.

Report: Smoke detectors in France not effective enough

One in 8 fire smoke detectors in homes across France does not conform to regulation or offer adequate protection against fire, a new report has found.

Tour on avoiding DIY accidents launches in France

The first national “tour” on how to avoid DIY accidents at home is launching today (Friday October 5) across France.

From 2018, get €3 000 to replace your old fuel boiler

A new scheme giving homeowners up to €3 000 towards replacing their oil-burning fuel boilers with a wood-burning or gas alternative will come into force from 2018.

French homeowner lays explosive traps for burglars

A man in his 70s in Côtes-d'Armor (Brittany) surprised the local gendarmerie this week after laying homemade explosive traps around his property, to deter and catch potential burglars.

France on bed bug alert after suspected Rentrée spread

France is on bed bug alert after the insect has been found spreading across Île-de-France in particular, following the return from holidays earlier this month.

Another French commune rules against Linky meters

Residents in Blagnac (Haute-Garonne, Occitanie) are now legally allowed to refuse the installation of Linky energy meters in their homes, a French court has ruled.

Two offers for tiny, run-down Paris flat at €205,000

An apartment in a condition of total disrepair and measuring just 12m2, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, is on sale for €205,000 - and two people have put in an offer.

French homes receive 28kg of paper ads per year

The average household in France receives more than two kilos of publicity material posted through their letterbox per month, yet only one in five has used a government “stop adverts” service that could help.

French couple ordered to return gold found in garden

A couple in the Loire has been ordered to return a cache of gold ingots, and money for their sale worth almost €800,000, after discovering the treasure in their garden.

Airbnb and Century 21 sign sublet agreement in Paris

Homeowners and renters in Paris and beyond look set to profit from a new subletting partnership trial signed between home-sharing website Airbnb and estate agent Century 21.

Homeowner in French town takes revenge on bad tenants

A homeowner in a small French town has received overwhelming support after he dumped a lorry full of rubbish and old furniture left by his former tenants, in front of their new property.

How to protect your water pipes from the freezing cold

As the freezing Siberian weather spreads across France in the current “Paris-Moscow cold wave”, homeowners and residents are being warned to safeguard their water systems and pipes.

Pamela Anderson now permanent Marseille resident

The residents of Marseille have a new famous neighbour, as former model and actress Pamela Anderson and her footballing partner are said to have moved in permanently.

French tap water still ‘has too much lead’, says study

There are still too-high levels of lead in French tap water, and reducing it should continue to be an urgent public health priority, according to a new report today.

Ikea France warns of fake €500 discount offer texts

Fan of the big blue and yellow Swedish home store Ikea? Watch out for a fake €500 offer circulating in France - and much of Europe too -, primarily though the texting app, WhatsApp.

Jail for thieves who robbed Côte d’Azur funeral-goers

Residents have been warned after a team of burglars in the Côte d’Azur has been found guilty of targeting the homes of people who they knew would be out attending funerals.

What are tax benefits of giving house to children?

Following the death of my husband my two children each now own a third of the house I live in and I have the usufruit (lifetime use) and the full ownership of the other third. I am considering making my third over to them in order to reduce any inheritance tax in the future. I am a French resident and tax payer, my children are UK residents and tax payers. What are the tax implications? U.C.

How can we help children out?

In 1996 we made a donation aux enfants , giving our two children our property here in France. This means they own the house we live in. I realise this would make the French equivalent of equity release a non-starter. Is there another way of releasing money to help our children in the short term? J.F.

Mythbuster: French prefer renting to buying

A few years ago a UK daily newspaper ran an article on how English people ‘see themselves as kings of their own castles’ while the ‘Germans and French prefer to rent’.

Selling share on holiday home

We bought a holiday home with family friends but they now wish to sell their share. What are the formalities involved to transfer full ownership to us? A.F.