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Six things to think about before buying a house in France

Moving to France is a dream for many, but if you're buying property there are some things to think about.

Published: 22 July 2020 09:38 CEST
Updated: 22 February 2021 17:36 CET
Six things to think about before buying a house in France
Your dream home may be waiting for you, but don't rush in. Photo: AFP

1. Do you need to buy rather than rent?

For many people the ultimate dream is buying their own place in France. But buying property anywhere can be a risky business, especially in a country where you don't know the system and may not speak the language very well.

So why not rent instead, at least at first?

There's a popular misconception that owning property in France gives you extra rights in terms of residency but in fact that is not true – residency is counted on being a full-time legal resident in France, whether you own or rent your home is immaterial.

Renting gives you time to more thoroughly research your new home and you won't feel the pressure to make a hasty purchase.  

Check out places to rent as well as to buy. Photo: AFP

2. Research the area thoroughly

This particularly applies if you are buying in a rural area. Yes, la France profonde is beautiful, but it can also be lonely, isolated and with poor services – especially in the winter.

If you have only ever visited an area in summer you should definitely check it out in the winter to see if you still like it without those evenings sipping rosé on a sun-drenched terrace. Shops, bars and restaurants in tourist areas often close up for the winter so you need to see what will be open during the colder months.

Also think about the boring but practical questions – are there medical services nearby if your health starts to fail? What are the public transport options if you can no longer drive? And will there be people nearby you to help out in an emergency?

If you intend to work from your new home check that your mobile gets a signal and ask locals about the internet connections, which are notoriously poor in some parts of rural France.

3. Research the housing market thoroughly

This applies to buying everywhere of course, but you do need to check that your new home is not a crumbling death trap that will cost you thousands to make habitable.

Surveys are not as common in France as when you buy in the UK, so if you're not an expert, ask a builder or surveyor to look it over for you.

This particularly applies if you want to buy an old place as a renovation project.

If you are not an expert get some advice beforehand on how long the restoration will take and how much it is likely to cost – it's not as easy as Dick Strawbridge makes it look on Escape to the Château.

READ ALSO 'Double your budget and make friends with the mayor' – readers share their expert renovation tips

If your dream place needs a major renovation then think about where you are going to sleep, cook and wash/go to the toilet while you are making your new place habitable.

If you're taking on a renovation project, get a clear idea of the costs in advance. Photo: AFP

4. Be aware of the hidden costs

As mentioned, the cost of renovations can easily end up spiralling, but even if your place is ready to move into straight away there are extra costs to be aware of.

On top of the cost of the house there is also the notaire fee – which can be in the tens of thousands of euro.

This fee is the cause of much confusion for foreign buyers – although it's known as the notaire fee, the notaires themselves only keep a small percentage of it. The rest goes to the French state as a registration fee, so it's really more equivalent to stamp duty or property taxes.

The fee depends on the cost of your house, where you buy and whether it is old or new – find the fee calculator here.

You also need to factor in annual property taxes – taxe foncière is the property owners' tax and taxe d'habitation is the householders' tax. If you own your own home you pay both – although taxe d'habitation is in the process of being phased out.

There will also be a fee payable to the commune for rubbish collection and a TV licence fee, as well as the usual utility bills.

READ ALSO The real cost of buying property in France 

5. Don't trust people just because they're your compatriots

While it's tempting to go with the friendly Brit or American who speaks your language, you need to check out everyone that you are planning on working with or giving money to.

Sad but true, every year newbies to France get conned by plausible sounding British agents, builders or accountants.

If you need the services of a builder, plumber or electrician do as you would elsewhere and get at least three different devis (formal price quotes) as well as asking for the person's SIRET number.

This is a business registration number that allows you to check that the person is registered for the trade they are quoting for and allows you to take legal action against them if it becomes necessary.

As well as checking they have a SIRET number, you need to check what they are registered as – so for example if you want them to install electrics you need to check they are registered as an electrician, not as a builder or a plumber. 

READ ALSO How to avoid getting conned by rogue traders in France

You may need to take a long look at your finances first. Photo: AFP

6. Do you have enough money to stay here?

Forgive us for asking such a personal question, but it's something that French authorities will be asking you when you come to make your visa/residency application.

Visas, particularly for those intending to retire to France, have some quite stringent financial requirements and you will need to prove that you have sufficient income (for example a pension) or savings in order to stay in France for the long term.

READ ALSO How much money do I need to stay in France after Brexit?

So while it's tempting to retire early or scale back your work so you can make the move now, you do need a long hard look at your finances first.

Member comments

  1. The question of pre purchase surveys here as mentioned is often, sadly, overlooked with sometimes dire consequences. It is all well and good suggesting the local electrician, builder, surveyor, plumber etc to give the property a “look over”, but this is, as stated, invariably, cursory and often not backed up by professional insurance guarantee and hedged in “t & c’s”. There are some professional French registered British qualified and insured quantity surveyors operating in France who carry our full comprehensive British style surveys and I would recommend using them even if their service might be pricey.

  2. When choosing a location it is also a good idea to check out the commune in which you will be living. Some are much more welcoming and active than others. Attending local functions including the mayor’s annual address is a good way of assessing the area.

  3. Excellent advice here. As well as being cautious about using British builders etc. be very careful if you are buying from Brits. They know what you don’t know as do British Estate agents. Sadly, they are not all to be trusted.

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 things Brits in France need to know about swapping driving licences

Now that the dust has settled from the somewhat chaotic post-Brexit period, the system for swapping a UK driving licence for a French one seems to be running fairly smoothly. There are, however, some things that UK licence holders need to know.

Published: 3 May 2024 17:20 CEST
5 things Brits in France need to know about swapping driving licences

This article is aimed at holders of a UK or Northern Ireland driving licence who are living in France – tourists, visitors and second-home owners can continue to drive in France on a UK licence and do not need an international driving permit.

British students who are studying in France on a student visa can continue to drive on their UK licence during their studies – if however they settle in France afterwards, they need to follow the below process for swapping their licence. 

1 You’re special

Well, maybe special is over-stating it, but the system for holders of UK and NI licence holders is different to that of other non-EU nationals, and also different to the system for EU licence holders.

The reason for this is that a pragmatic post-Brexit agreement was (finally) reached between France and the UK, in order to avoid the chaos that was triggered when thousands of Brits in France all tried to swap their driving licences at once.

Unlike almost all other post-Brexit agreements, this one applies both to people who moved to France before the end of Brexit transition period in 2021 and those who have moved here since. 

The below terms apply to everyone who has a UK or NI licence, regardless of their nationality or when they moved to France. 

2 But you still have to swap

It was technically always the case that Brits who were living in France should have swapped their licence for a French one, just as other EU licence holders do now, but in reality many people lived here for years or decades without ever exchanging their licence and there was little or no enforcement of the rule.

That has now changed and you must swap according to the following timetable;

If your UK licence was issued after January 1st, 2021 – you must swap within one year of moving to France.

If your UK licence was issued before January 1st 2021 – you only swap when you meet one of the following conditions;

  • The licence itself or the photocard is within six months of its expiry date. For more people the photocard expiry will come around first, but UK licences also require renewal when the holder reaches the age of 70
  • Your licence has been lost or stolen
  • You have been ordered to exchange your licence by a gendarme after committing a driving offence

For people who are exchanging because the licence is about to expire, it is important that you don’t start the process until your licence is within six months of the expiry date – early applications will simply be rejected.

3 It might not be as much of a nightmare as you think 

Unlike the old days when licence swaps were done by préfectures, the whole process has now moved online and is run through a single, central system.

The online portal for requesting a swap is known as ANTS and you can find it HERE.

If you haven’t used it before you will need to create an online account, or if you already have online accounts for French government services such as Ameli or tax declarations you can login by clicking on the France Connect button.

Once logged in, select Je demande l’échange ou l’enregistrement de mon permis de conduire étranger (I request the exchange or registration of a foreign driving licence) and fill in the details requested on the form such as name, address etc.

You might be pleasantly surprised by the fact the form itself is relatively straightforward (as French admin forms go), asking basic questions such as your personal details and the details of your driving licence.

You will have to upload supporting documents, but these are likely to be things that you already have to hand including

  • Proof of ID (passport or carte de séjour)
  • Proof of address (a recent utility bill or attestation from your utility provider)
  • If your driver’s licence is in a different name to your passport, you will need to supply your full birth certificate

You will also need to supply a photo – you can either use the internet-enabled Photomaton booths – find your nearest here – to create a digital photo with the required security code, or you can use the normal photo booths to print out a physical photo and send it by post after you have made your application. 

Once completed, you can use the ANTS site to track the progress of your application and upload any other documents that are requested.

4 But don’t leave it too late 

If you’re applying because your licence is about to expire then you cannot apply until you are within six months of the expiry date.

But it’s a good idea not to leave it until the last minute as the whole process does take time – things have improved massively since the dark days of 2020 and 2021 when people were waiting for years and their licences expired while they waited.

But it still takes time – the current average for a straightforward application with no extra documents required seems to be between four and five months, although processing times can vary, especially over holiday periods.

It’s therefore a good idea to make the application fairly soon after you enter that magic six-month window.

Once you make the application you should get an automated response acknowledging receipt – this is usually sent by SMS and/or email, it’s a good idea to check your spam folder if you don’t get the email.

Don’t panic if you don’t then hear anything for the next few weeks or even months, this appears to be normal. If your application is complete and there are no outstanding queries or other documents required, the next step will be a request to send in your old UK licence.

You send this by post (recorded delivery with a signature is strongly recommended) and at the same time you can download an Attestation de Depot de Permis de Conduire (certificate of deposit of driving licence) – you can use this to prove your continued entitled to drive in the period between sending in your old licence and receiving your new one.

Your French licence is then sent by registered post, and the window between posting the old licence and receiving the new one is usually not more than a month, you 

5 Help is out there 

If your application runs into problems or you have an untypical situation or find the ANTS website hard to use, don’t panic – help is available.

The Facebook group Driving in France – French Licence Applications is a good place to start with comprehensive guides and knowledgeable admins who are quick to respond to questions.

You can also chat to others in your situation and get updates on how long processing times seem to be.

If you have problems using the online system, your local France Services office may be able to help.

You can also head to The Local’s reader questions section, or email us at [email protected] if you have questions.

Digital licences

You might have heard about France’s new digital driving licence – unfortunately this is only available to people who have French citizenship (including dual nationals).

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