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French property: ‘We’ve seen a real rise in British buyers looking for lockdown retreats’

The French property boom shows no sign of slowing, with real estate agents reporting strong demand from British buyers.

French property: 'We've seen a real rise in British buyers looking for lockdown retreats'
Photo: AFP

British people who want to move to France will only benefit from the provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement if they are in the country by December 31st, creating a last-minute rush for housing.

Although the pandemic and two successive lockdowns have made house-hunting considerably more difficult, moving house is one the reasons currently permitted for travel between France and the UK.

 

READ ALSO Can you move house to France during lockdown?

To find out more about the Brexit deadline, click here.

But although this has undoubtedly created a surge of last-minute buyers, real estate agency Leggett Immobilier – which caters to many British buyers house-hunting in France – says the interest in buying second homes also remains strong.

Joanna Leggett said: “The market remains red hot and it looks as though France will again break the million sales barrier in 2020, despite losing two months during lockdown earlier this year.

“To give this some context, Leggett received an average of 22,000 separate enquiries each month between June and September, compared to 11,500 last year.

Of course, there has been a rush from British buyers looking to move across before December 31st but, significantly, enquiries from the UK do not seem to be slowing much. We are confident that 2021 will see this strong demand continuing.”

Aside from Brexit, the other major factor driving the purchases is the pandemic and the consequent rise in remote working.

READ ALSO 

Joanna added: “It's noticeable that buyers (both French and international) are asking for rural property, with excellent broadband and room for a home office. 

“We have definitely seen young families buying property, with many saying that it is essential they are able to work from home. We have been selling many larger properties, with bigger gardens, where families can create their own 'bubble'. Budgets have increased over the last few months to encompass this.

“We did have a rush of Brits wanting to move permanently before year end, so that they can become resident. However, the balance is currently shifting, with many buyers now looking for holiday homes they can use, as and when any future lockdowns come into place.

“You only have to look at the pictures of traffic streaming out of Paris when the lockdowns were announced to understand the importance of a second home in the country.

“The initial 'full time home' interest from the UK was definitely inspired by Brexit, however the increased demand for second homes is being driven by the broader societal change of how we will live in the future.

“Work from home, the desire for light, airy houses with plenty of outdoor space, balconies on city apartments – this seems likely to be a permanent and radical shift in what buyers want.”

And for British buyers, at least, there is another shift – one towards property in northern France.

Areas of the south west such as Dordogne and Charente have long been popular for British people, both to live and have second homes in, but Leggett has reported an increase in demand for northern France.

READ ALSO Where in France do all the Brits live?

Joanna said: “There is a noticeable demand amongst British buyers for properties within easy reach of the ferry ports and Eurotunnel.

“It's clear that buyers see travel by car as a preferred option and thus Brittany, Normandy, Pays-de-la-Loire and Centre-Val-de-Loire are all benefiting.

“It looks like these will be the hotspots of 2021.”

One thing British second-home owners will need to bear in mind from January, however, is the 90-day rule, which means that people are not resident in France can only spend 90 days out of every 180 there – find out more about how that works here.

Member comments

  1. I hope Ms Leggett warns prospective UK lockdown escapees that going to your maison secondaire in lockdown is not permitted. The queues trying to get out of Paris were trying to avoid the 9.00 pm curfew ahead of the lockdown midnight deadline. It should be in this article too.

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TRAVEL NEWS

EES: Could the launch of the Europe’s new border system be delayed again?

After being postponed several times already Europe's new biometric border system (EES) is set to be rolled out in October, but with fears of lengthy queues, problems with a new app and demands for more time, could it be postponed again?

EES: Could the launch of the Europe's new border system be delayed again?

Could the entry into operation of the EU entry/exit system (EES), the new biometric passport checks for non-EU citizens at the Schengen area’s external borders, be delayed yet again?

Originally planned for May 2022, EES has already been postponed many times.

The current launch date, set for October 2024, was chosen to avoid periods of peak traffic and France in particular had requested to avoid it being launched until after the Paris Olympics this summer.

When asked to confirm the October start date this week a spokesperson for the EU’s Commission told The Local that the “roadmap” for the EES IT system foresees it will be ready for Autumn 2024. But the actual start date, in other words, the day when passengers will have to register, would be confirmed nearer the time.

The spokesperson said: “The exact date will be determined by the European Commission and announced on the EES official website well in time for the start of operations.”

READ ALSO: Your key questions answered about Europe’s new EES passport checks

But the reasons are adding up to suggest an October start date is optimistic, perhaps even unlikely.

In the annual report on the ‘State of Schengen’ published last week, the European Commission spelt out that severe challenges remain if member states are to be ready on time.

“In 2023, efforts to ensure the entry into operation of the Entry-Exit System in the autumn of 2024 were accelerated… While important progress has been made across the Schengen area, some Member States are still falling behind, notably regarding the effective equipment of border crossing points. The Commission calls on all Member States to urgently accelerate preparations to ensure the timely implementation of the system…”

A map in the report shows that preparation is still “in progress” in 13 Schengen area countries, including Germany, Norway and Switzerland. “Outstanding issues” still impact Portugal, Malta and Bulgaria.

The state of play for the preparations for EES across EU and Schengen states. Image: European Commission.

There are also reports that EU heavyweight Germany is trying to persuade Brussels to delay.

Matthias Monroy, editor of the German civil rights journal Bürgerrechte & Polizei/CILIP claimed on his website that “the German government is lobbying in Brussels to postpone the date once again, as otherwise the German tests of the EES cannot be completed in full. Other EU countries are also behind schedule, with only eight of them having reported successful integration.”

Even on a French government website it talks of EES being rolled out some time “between the end of 2024 and 2025” rather than stating October 2024.

And according to recent media reports, French airports have been advised to be ready for November 6th, rather than October. 

READ ALSO: EES and Etias – what are the big upcoming travel changes in Europe?

A planned EU app, believed to be essential to the smooth operation of EES because it would allow non-EU visitors to register in advance of travel will not be ready, Gwendoline Cazenave, Managing Director of Eurostar International, the company operating train services via the Channel Tunnel, has told the BBC. The EU however insists the app does not need to be up and running before EES is introduced.

In the UK, which will be heavily impacted by EES due to the fact it is no longer in the EU and so British travellers are no longer EU citizens, the House of Commons European scrutiny committee is conducting an inquiry on the potential disruption the introduction of the EES will cause at the border.

Several respondents have recently raised the alarm about the possible delays the system could cause, especially at the UK-France border, which is used by millions of passengers each year who head to France and other countries across Europe.

Ashford Borough Council in Kent has warned of the possibility of more than 14 hours queues to reach the Port of Dover, which has already been struggling increased checked after Brexit.

The BBC reported that back in March, a P&O Ferries director said the IT system should be delayed again.

Airlines have also complained about the fact pre-travel EES requirements would make last minute bookings impossible.

The Union des Aéroports Français (UAF), which represents airports in France, has simply said more time is needed.

In other words, it would be little surprise if the roll out was delayed again beyond October 2024.

But the Commission spokesperson told The Local that “the timeline for the entry into operation of the EES took into account all the necessary activities to be performed by all relevant stakeholders to ensure a timely entry into operation. 

“The Commission is working very closely with eu-Lisa [the EU agency in charge of the IT system], the Member States and carriers to ensure that everything is ready for the timely and successful launch of the Entry Exit System.

“The roadmap for the delivery of the new IT architecture foresees that the Entry/Exit system will be ready to enter into operation in Autumn 2024.”

New digital border

The EES is a digital system to register travellers from non-EU countries when they cross a border in or out of the Schengen area, the travel-free area. It will be deployed in 29 countries across Europe including 25 EU states plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Ireland and Cyprus are the only EU members who won’t apply the EES system.

It doesn’t apply to non-EU nationals who are legally resident in an EU/Schengen area country or those with dual nationality of an EU /Schengen county. The system was designed to increase security and to ensure that non-EU nationals visiting the Schengen area short-term do not stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

Instead of having the passport stamped, travellers will have to scan it at self-service kiosks before crossing the border. However, fingerprints and a photo will have to be registered in front of a guard at the first crossing and there are huge concerns the extra time needed could generate long queues in the UK, where there are juxtaposed border checks with the EU.

Preparations are ongoing throughout Europe and some countries have made good progress.

In France, Getlink, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, has recently reported that new EES infrastructure is finished at its French terminal of Coquelles, which will allow travellers to register their biometric data while travelling.

Eurostar is also installing 49 kiosks in stations for the registration of passengers. But the Union des Aéroports Français (UAF), which represents airports in France, said more time is needed.

Exempted

Meanwhile, the Polish government has urged UK citizens who are beneficiaries of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement to get a residence permit “in the context of EES/ETIAS”, even though there was not such an obligation to stay legally in Poland post-Brexit.

“Having such a document is beneficial as it will exempt from future Entry/Exit System (EES) registration when crossing external borders and from the need to obtain an ETIAS travel permit in relation to short-term travel to EU/Schengen countries,” the government page says.

This article as published in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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