Services for you and your family

Buying and selling a French property

Buying a property in France can be a daunting experience because it involves understanding another country’s law and dealing with documents in the French language.

Translations of the contract are often provided, but they are not always accurate. In the event of a problem the French version will prevail.

The process gets off to a quicker start in France than the UK, with the estate agent often drafting the preliminary sale contract and searches not carried out until you are already bound into the purchase.

A sale contract contains a number of conditions that protect the buyer and so it is crucial all the conditions you need are included.

It is important to seek expert legal advice at an early stage from our specialists in French property law who will guide you through the process.

Complexities involved in buying or selling property in France

When selling a property in France, you will be required to provide certain reports to the buyer.  When you sign the preliminary sale contract you will be making declarations about the property which must be accurate to avoid problems later on.

Capital gains tax might have to be paid on a sale in France and UK. We can help sellers calculate any capital gains tax liability on a sale, as well as advising on the sale process.

We will guide you through the complexities involved when buying or selling property in France.

• We will liaise with the estate agent and Notaire for you.
• We will provide detailed reports on the sale contract and sale deed, in English.
• We will advise on any additional clauses and conditions we consider to be in your best interests.
• We will discuss with you the applicable laws of succession and French inheritance tax - which is key to helping you decide on the best property ownership structure for completion of a purchase.

Why choose Furley Page for buying and selling French property

We help you understand the buying and selling process in France and the documents you will be required to sign. We want your transaction to go through smoothly and avoid problems later.