Buying/Selling Property in France - Before you put it on the market
Monday, September 8th, 2008In 2004 I bought an apartment in Paris. In all honesty I didn’t have much idea of what I was doing at the time and my French was pretty poor. In hindsight I took quite a risk and I was lucky that everything turned out to be above board. I’ve just sold this apartment and thought it prudent to note down the various stages involved with buying/selling - for my benefit more than anything else. I’m writing from the sellers perspective.
Before you put it on the market
Check that you have all the relevant paperwork. The most important document is the ‘titre de propriété,’ which is proof of ownership. You will have received this via post a couple of months after having bought the property. I didn’t have this document as I wasn’t sent it following the purchase and as I didn’t know I was waiting for anything else I never chased it up! It is not the end of the world if it has been lost as a copy is kept with the ‘bureau des hypothèques.’ My notary (notaire) handled recovering the document but I had to cover the costs (a few hundred euros). Other documents required for the sale:
For properties with shared areas/facilities/structure ie. apartments:
- ‘Réglement de copropriété.‘ You will have received a copy of this when you bought the property.
- ‘Carnet d’entretien de l’immeuble.’ This is available from the ’syndic de copropiété’ (building management company) that manages the building. In my case the ‘notaire’ contacted the ’syndic’ directly for this.
- Last three ‘Procès verbaux de l’Assemblée Générale.‘ The last three sets of minutes from the co-owners AGM. You should have copies of these. If not then contact the ’syndic.’
- Statement of your account as co-owner. In my case the ‘notaire’ contacted the ’syndic’ for this information.
For all types of property:
- ‘Diagnostiques’ (various checks/studies). The requirements vary depending upon the region, age of the building, etc. Specialist companies handle these checks/studies and they will let you know which are required for your property. The most important element is ‘certificat de surface de loi Carrez.‘ The latter states the surface area of the property being sold.
- A copy of your last ‘taxe foncière.’
- Identity card or passport
- A copy of your birth certificate and any documents related to your personal status (marriage certificate, etc.)
If any building work is underway then you may be required to supply additional documents. The ‘notaire’ will explain the requirements.
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If you are selling your property via an estate agent then they will request as many of these documents up front as possible. In reality though only the ‘titre de propriété,’ ‘réglement de copropriété’ and the ‘diagnostiques’ are necessary for the first step (’compromis de vente’/ ‘promesse de vente’). The rest can be gathered together for the final contract (’acte de vente’).
I sold my apartment directly (no estate agent). This is very common in France and most people advertise using a publication called Particulier à Particulier (print version available every Thursday + web site www.pap.fr). P à P also sells guides to buying/selling/renting etc. as well as document models.
Being prepared is very important as once you find a buyer then you will be keen to get the first contract (’compromis de vente’/'promesse de vente’) signed as soon as possible.
Next step: ‘compromis de vente’/'promesse de vente’ (coming soon)
