Information
on buying a property in France
At
French Liaison we here to give members advice and help in purchasing
their dream home in France.
France
is a wonderful place to live, but it is essential to follow some
basic rules otherwise the dream can be over in a very short time.
The
property buyer does have a reasonable level of protection under
French Law. Unlike the UK the process of buying a house in France
is very structured and regulated. These laws are strictly enforced
but there is however a small number of unprincipled Estate Agents
(Immobilier)
and sellers who take advantage of the differences in language, culture,
law and ethics. It is therefore advisable to instruct someone to
guide you through the purchase or sale process and protect your
interests.
We
can offer this service to you at French Liaison; we are totally
independent of any agencies and therefore act with your interests
at heart.
The
purchase or the sale of a property raises many questions, even fears,
particularly when buying from abroad. The process involves a complex
legal procedure intended to avoid problems both for the purchaser
and the seller.
An
initial agreement sets the sale's terms and conditions this is called
(compromis de vente). It is a provisional contract while the Notaire
prepares the Title Deeds. The preliminary contract is legally binding
upon both the buyer and the seller.
The
buyer agrees to purchase the Land/Property subject to specific conditions
(called conditions supensives). This is one of the most important
agreements you will ever sign, it determines the conditions under
which you will make your purchase. There is a 7 day cooling off
period, after which the agreement becomes binding on both buyer
and seller, and no changes can be made. When you come to sign the
Title Deeds which are normally 3 months later, you will only sign
Deeds if all the conditions in the initial agreement the (compromis
de vente) have been complied with.
We
can not emphasis enough the importance of getting the conditions
included correctly. In most cases the initial signing is done with
a Notaire ( Solicitor ) who should be totally independent. The purchaser
and the seller can share Notaires, there is no additional costs
in using a Notaire of your choice. In our experience problems often
occur when the initial signing is done with the Estate Agent ( some
are qualified to do the initial signing) who is selling the property,
they just want to sell the property and are not always interested
in putting in a lot of conditions.
The
main tip I can give, is always go with a shopping list of conditions
in writing, hand over a copy, the fact that it is in English does
not matter. The important thing is that you have made your wishes
known.
In
the end if your conditions have not been complied with you can ask
for your deposit back.
