COPY LINK

PROPERTY

French real estate agents report rush of British buyers ahead of Brexit

Real estate agents have reported a rush of British buyers looking to snap up properties in France ahead of the Brexit deadline of December 31st.

Published: 2 July 2020 16:18 CEST

French real estate agents report rush of British buyers ahead of Brexit

Many British people want to move to France before the end of the year. Photo: AFP

For British people wanting to make their dream of moving to France a reality there is now a deadline looming – December 31st, 2020.

This is the end of the Brexit transition period and marks the last day that British people can benefit from European freedom of movement to start a new life in another country.

After several months of lockdown and travel bans, real estate agents in France say they are seeing a surge of enquiries as buyers look to make the move before the end of the year.

Trevor Leggett, boss of France-based agency Leggett Immobilier, is predicting the company's busiest period in 21 years of trading.

A company spokesman said: “Travel restrictions, due to Covid-19, have meant that there is a huge, pent up demand – Leggett Immobilier has a database of 50,000 buyers eager to move, with 100s of viewings lined up for visitors from the UK.”

And for British buyers, Brexit is an additional factor.

“The Brexit transition period ends on December 31st 2020 and there is a rush to purchase in France before then.

“In reality, this means finding a property and having an offer accepted before September, to give time for the paperwork to be signed and the Acte de Vente completed.

“British buyers looking to move to France know that if they get in before the year end they will enjoy the same rights and benefits as those British nationals already living here.

“However, once the window is closed these rights are not guaranteed. It is likely that they will need to apply for a long term visa, pass “proof of income” tests, take out additional insurances and not see their pensions uprated.”

READ ALSO Can Brits still move to France after Brexit?

Rob Longeley of Beaux Villages agency concurred, saying: “Enquiries from Brits barely dipped during lock-down – interest has accelerated as we get ever closer to the end of free movement.

“And the 'imperative' of a likely hard Brexit at the end of the year has certainly focused the minds of UK-based buyers.

“A property transaction generally takes between 12 and 20 weeks, and so in that sense, to have keys in hand this year, the clock is ticking.”

And for people looking for rural property there is now added competition as French real estate agents report a surge in interest from French people looking to move out of the city and into the countryside.

The country's strict two-month lockdown perhaps focused people's minds on the joys of having a garden, while the huge increase in home and remote working during the pandemic has made it possible for people to contemplate moving to the country without switching jobs.

Home and remote working was also a factor for Leggett's clients.

“The main demand is for country property, with good broadband and plenty of outside space. The Covid-19 lockdown has shown that people can work remotely so barns that can be converted into a home office are also high on the buyers' wish list,” the company spokesman said, adding: “We are also seeing a surge in demand for homes that are easily accessible from the UK.

“Brittany, Normandy and the départments down to the Charente and Dordogne have always been holiday home favourites and faster TGV routes mean that British buyers have good access by both road and rail – leaving less reliance on flights.”

But before you rush to buy, you need to make sure you meet the criteria for legal residence in France, as well as checking out the paperwork demands.

READ ALSO What you need to know if you're planning on moving to France in 2020

Rob added: “Of course whatever happens, people will continue to buy property in France in 2021 and beyond.

“And for owners of holiday homes, there will be some extra paperwork, but we expect the formalities to be straightforward.

“There is no need to panic and make a rushed decision.”

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

INTERVIEW: 'A lot of people think Brexit is done, but it's not for Brits in Europe'

In the early days of 2021, after the United Kingdom had left the EU and completed the final stage of Brexit, many British citizens returned to their home countries in Europe only to face a grilling at the border.

Though the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) technically guaranteed their right to live and work in the countries they’d settled in before Brexit, there was widespread confusion about these fundamental rights and many were treated like new arrivals.

Over time, the chaos at the airports subsided as border officials and airlines were given clearer guidance on the treatment of Brits. But three years later, a number of Brits who live on the continent still face problems when it comes to proving their post-Brexit rights.

This was the reason campaign group British in Europe decided to set up their new EU-funded ICE project. Starting this year in March, it aims to build valuable connections between UK citizens abroad and mentor the next generation of civil rights advocates around the continent. The acronym stands for ‘Inform, Empower, Connect’ and the project’s organisers describe it as “the first project of its kind”.

“It’s a completely innovative project – especially the fact that it’s across so many countries,” Jane Golding, chair of British in Europe and one of the project’s founders, told The Local.

Bringing together groups from 11 EU member states, the project aims to train up volunteers to understand both the Withdrawal Agreement and EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as learning skills like advocacy and communication, using real-life civil rights cases that are referred to British in Europe.

“The ultimate goal is to amplify the messages across the wider group,” said Golding. “You start with the volunteers, they go back to their groups, then the people that we train, they go back and train people. Then they pass on that knowledge to the wider groups, on their Facebook accounts and through social media, and hopefully it all snowballs, not just in their countries but across the EU.”

‘Far-reaching repercussions’

So many years after Brexit, it’s hard to believe that there’s still a need for a project like ICE that empowers Brits to protect their rights. Indeed, the future of groups like British in Europe and regional groups like British in Germany and Spain-based group EuroCitizens felt uncertain just a year or two ago.

But Golding says there are still serious issues cropping up for Brits in several countries around Europe – they just have a different quality to the problems that arose at the start.

“In some ways it’s needed even more because as we predicted right at the beginning, at the first stage of implementation, you’ve got the more routine cases,” she explained.

“What we’re seeing now is not as many cases, but when the cases come up, they’re complex. They can have such far-reaching repercussions on people’s lives. And of course, memories start to fade. A lot of people think Brexit is already done, but it’s not.”

Volunteers in British in Europe ICE project

The volunteers of the British in Europe ICE project pose for a photo at the kick-off meeting in Brussels on May 21st, 2024. Photo courtesy of British In Europe

Though the rights set out in the Withdrawal Agreement apply across the continent, different countries have taken different approaches to implementing them.

That means that while in Germany, for example, UK citizens simply had to declare that they lived in the country, people in neighbouring Denmark had to apply for their rights.

This led to a notorious situation in Denmark in which as many as 2,000 Brits were threatened with deportation after not applying in time or completing the right application process. According to Golding, this had a lot to do with the fact that people who arrived in 2020 weren’t given the same information as other UK migrants who arrived before.

In Sweden, meanwhile, the situation is still difficult for many Brits who lived there prior to Brexit.

“There have been issues with an anomalously high numbers of refusals compared to other countries, and they seem to be taking a very strict approach on late applications,” Golding explained.

Portugal has been another difficult case. Although the country opted for a declaratory system where Brits could simply exchange old residence documents for a new ID card after Brexit, reports suggest that the authorities have taken years to issue these cards, leaving many of the some 34,000 Brits in the country in limbo.

“While people are still waiting to have their status confirmed and have their card in their hand, it’s difficult to access a whole range of services, like health services, or applying for jobs or dealing with the authorities, or even going to the bank,” Golding said. “All of these problems just affect people’s lives.”

A French border guard checks a passport at the border

A French border guard checks a passport at the border. Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP

There are also concerns about the EU’s new exit and entry system (EES), due to come into force in October, which is based on biometric documentation.

“We still do not have clear data on how many people in declaratory countries like Germany, where it wasn’t compulsory to apply for the card, don’t actually have a card,” Golding said. “How is that going to play out if it’s a document-based digitalised system?”

A lack of support

In the immediate aftermath of Brexit, funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) was still available to support NGOs in Europe helping Brits with their migration and civil rights issues. But that temporary funding soon expired, leaving groups like British in Europe largely on their own.

“The whole point is people’s lives change at very different paces,” Golding said. “And now this project is really going to start to pick up some of those cases and report on those issues, which is really crucial and exciting for the precedent that it sets, and it’s very clearly necessary still, because people don’t just sort their lives in the 18 months that the FCDO chose to supply that funding.”

This feeling of being left alone and increasingly isolated from the UK is one that many Brits in Europe have felt in the aftermath of Brexit. But the upcoming UK election on July 4th could be a game-changer.

This time, following a change in the law, Brits who have lived abroad for more than 15 years will be able to vote for the first time.

Polling station in the UK

A polling station in the UK. Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

When it comes to the election, the message from British in Europe is clear: “Make your voice count now, make your vote count, make sure you use it,” Golding said.

With the June 18th registration deadline fast approaching, BiE is advising UK citizens abroad to apply for a proxy vote as soon as possible, rather than relying on a postal vote from abroad. Since the 15-year rule was abolished on January 16th, more than 100,000 British citizens have registered to vote, according to official statistics. It is unclear how many were registered before the change in the law.

With an estimated 4.7 million Brits currently living abroad – 1.3 million of whom are in the EU – this could have a significant impact on the electoral landscape, Golding says. But most significantly, the change is creating a feeling of connection and belonging that wasn’t there before.

Nurturing this sense of belonging is one of the main goals of ICE.

With these bridges being built, British in Europe hopes to create a network of support that spans across borders.

“Now we’ve met. We’re going to meet,” said Golding. “We know we’re going to meet again in Berlin in October and then we’ll meet again in the new year in 2025 as well. It means a huge amount because even British in Europe, our steering team, we’ve only met physically three times.”

This opens up the possibility of people sharing their knowledge from country to country, Golding explained.

“There is crossover and the reassurance of having that EU wide view and knowing that you’re not alone and knowing that in this country, we managed to get this solution,” she said. “And then you can go back and say to the authorities in your country, well, in that country they did that – all of that helps. It’s really good.”

SHOW COMMENTS

Url copied to clipboard!