French Notaires, Estate Agents, Solicitors

Buying through a Notaire

The notaire is the independent official appointed in France to deal with property conveyancing. It is common practice to use the same notaire as the vendor, though you can if you wish appoint your own. The advantage of the latter is that you would then have access to your own notaire who would be acting soley on yur behalf, and could advise you accordingly. The cost to you is the same as if you were using the same Notaire as the vendor, as the fee is quite simply shared between the two notaires. In the case of a simple exchange then it most probably will make little difference if you share the same Notaire as the vendor, but if there are more complex issues that need to be addressed then it would be a good idea to have your own notaire who can act on your behalf. The process might, however, take a little longer.

Notaires are under a legal obligation to provide you with complete and detailed information on the agreement you are signing, and are generally considered to be informed, reliable, and efficient.

To find a list of notaires click  French notaires.

Buying property through a French Estate Agent

Estate agents can act as between you and the Notaire as long as they have a  ‘carte professionelle’. They can provide you with pre-printed sale and purchase contracts for you to sign, although you shouldn’t forget that they are primarily acting on behalf of the vendor, and could therefore lack the independence of a Notaire. You should read through the contract carefully, to make sure there are no clauses that you disagree with, and in case you might wish to add some of your own. You should also be sure that you understand the contract fully: there may be a translation but the accuracy is not guaranteed, and in case of any issues the French version will be the one accepted in a French court of law.

English/French solicitors

You can if you wish use your own solicitor in your home country, or a French solicitor, or advocat, to advise you on your property purchase. Such legal advisors cannot undertake the actual conveyancing which will be undertaken by the notaire (who have a monopoly), but they will be able to advise you with the contract, taxation, and help with setting up a property company (this last can be useful for investment buyers, developers, and buy to rent purchasers.

If you are thinking of bringing in outside legal advice make sure that the company you employ have  professional indemnity insurance (PII), which covers the provision of legal and tax advice on French property transactions.