Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

TAXES

Where are French property taxes increasing the most in 2024?

Property owners in France can expect to see higher 'taxe foncière' bills this year, but certain homeowners will notice a more significant difference from last year.

Published: 28 August 2024 11:50 CEST
Where are French property taxes increasing the most in 2024?
A general view of the city of Saint-Etienne, central eastern France, on April 4, 2024. Saint-Etienne properties will see the taxe fonciere increase in 2024. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)

In 2024, French property bills (the taxe foncière) are increasing by an average of 3.9 percent. That said, your individual bill may differ, and some locations are instituting higher increases than others.

The taxe foncière – or property-owners’ tax – is paid by everyone who owns property in France, including those who live in another country. 

It is calculated based on the individual rentable value of the property, which is updated yearly and takes inflation into consideration.

READ MORE: Taxe foncière: What exactly is the French property tax and do I have to pay it?

Basically, if you added a pool or a new veranda, then you can expect your bill to go up.

Then the taxe foncière also considers the local tax rate, which is decided by local authorities, including the commune, département and région.

Where are rates increasing?

The good news is that unlike last year, fewer municipalities opted to increase their tax rates. A recent study showed that among France’s 42 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, only seven opted to increase the taxe foncière.

READ MORE: Taxe Foncière: What you need to know about 2024 French property tax bills

Here is the list of the highest average increases, according to BFMTV.

  • Nice, increase of 15.8 percent
  • Saint-Étienne, increase of 14.1 percent
  • Nancy, increase of 13.4 percent
  • Annecy, increase of 13.4 percent,
  • Villeurbanne, increase of 9.8 percent
  • Montreuil, increase of 5 percent
  • Saint-Denis-de-la-Réunion, increase of 2.7 percent

As for smaller cities, with 40,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, 18 of the 154 cities opted to increase the taxe foncière.

These include;

  • Saint-Priest, 16 percent increase
  • Neuilly-sur-Seine, 10 percent increase
  • Meaux, 9 percent increase
  • Clichy-la-Garenne, 9 percent increase
  • Le Cannet, 8.8 percent increase
  • Rezé, 7.7. percent increase
  • Gennevilliers, 5.2 percent increase
  • Fontenay-sous-Bois, 5 percent increase
  • Thionville, 5 percent increase
  • Créteil, 3.9 percent increase
  • Anglet, 3.2 percent increase
  • Bayonne, 3.1 percent increase
  • Antony, 3 percent increase
  • Rueil-Malmaison, 3 percent increase
  • Bourg-en-Bresse, 2.9 percent increase
  • Saint-Pierre, 2.2 percent increase
  • Saint-Louis, 1.4 percent increase
  • Poitiers, 1 percent increase

There were also five areas that opted to decrease the tax, including Brive-la-Gaillarde (down 0.40 percent), Wattrelos (down 0.40 percent), Tarbes (down 0,60 percent), Castres (down 1 percent) and Mantes-la-Jolie (down 2.60 percent).

How much does the increase actually amount to?

Taking Nice – the city with the largest increase – as an example, estimates from Actu Nice in May found that the rise in taxe foncière would be ‘modest’.

The initial estimates showed that it would come out to about €12 a month on average, depending on the surface area of your flat or house.

For homes sized 54 metres squared, the increase would be closer to €9.50 per month, while 100 metre squared homes would see a rise of €16 on average per month.

Ultimately, the exact value of your bill depends on individual factors about your house, as well as location. 

How does this compare to last year?

In comparison, in 2023, property owners saw minimum increases of 7.1 percent, which represented one of the largest increases in 30 years.

Some locations, such as the city of Paris raised the taxe foncière rate by a record 52 percent, while Grenoble raised it by 25 percent and Bordeaux by 11.6 percent.

This guide by The Local can give you a better idea of how much property owners paid in 2023.

What about the taxe d’habitation?

Second-home owners also have to pay the taxe d’habitation, which is a separate type of property tax. This is usually sent out later in autumn, around early to mid-November.

In places with a housing shortage – known as zones tendues – local authorities can increase the taxe d’habitation by a maximum of 60 percent per year.

As for 2024, second-home owners in certain parts of France – particularly those in popular destinations such as Saint Tropez, Chamonix, Ile de Brehat and Saint Malo – should prepare for their tax bills to jump up quite a bit.

READ MORE: The French towns hiking taxes for second-home owners in 2024

Member comments

  1. We live in Nice and have an apartment of 94 sq m. Our Taxe Fonciére this year was 1800€ so a 15.8% increase for next year will bring it up to c 2084€ so an increase of 284€ about 24€ per month rather than 16€ estimated. Our taxe d’hab is already 2700 a year and we certainly don’t look forward to any substantial increase in this.

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

PROPERTY

9 things landlords in France can never ask of tenants

French law places strict limits on what a landlord has the right to demand of new and existing tenants – from the size of the security deposit to whether they can smoke or keep pets. Here is what both tenants and landlords need to know.

Published: 30 August 2024 10:14 CEST
9 things landlords in France can never ask of tenants

Finding a place to rent in France is the first step for many people after moving.

Location makes a big difference, as big cities often have housing shortages, making options slim and competition fierce.

Some landlords have been known to take advantage of would-be tenants’ desperation for a roof over their heads. But it is not all one-way traffic – in many cases, the law is on the side of the tenants.

READ ALSO The vital French vocab for renting property

While it is crucial for tenants to know their rights, it is equally important for those thinking of renting out their French property to understand these rules too.

Here are the nine things a landlord can never ask of a tenant in France;

Three months’ deposit

A landlord cannot, by law, demand a security deposit equivalent to three months’ rent. The maximum deposit allowed in law is one month’s rent – excluding charges – for unfurnished apartments, and two months for furnished apartments.

Deposits also cannot be increased during the term of the lease, or upon renewal, and they are paid after the lease has been signed.

READ ALSO What you should know about paying rental deposits in France

No pets

Unlike in other countries, landlords in France cannot ban their tenants from owning pets.

The sole exception to this rule: landlords can prohibit tenants from owning dangerous dogs, provided this ban is written into the lease.

Otherwise, tenants have the right to keep one or more pets in their rented property (even if it is rented as a furnished property), provided they respect the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood – and accept responsibility for damage or disturbance caused by the animal.

No smoking

Landlords cannot forbid their tenants from smoking in the privacy of the property they call home.

No guests

Tenants cannot be prevented from hosting friends and family. 

The only rule is that this accommodation must be free of charge. Payment of any kind may be considered sub-letting, which can only be done with the landlord’s permission. Keep this in mind if you were interested in putting the home on Airbnb.

READ MORE: What are the rules on home exchanges in France?

Rent payment method

How tenants pay their rent is up to them. Landlords cannot stipulate one payment method over another – nor can they include a clause into the contract that allows them to deduct rent payments directly from a tenant’s salary.

Additional payments and reservations

Requiring the tenant to pay sums other than the rent and security deposit in order to sign the lease is prohibited. Some landlords have tried to ask tenants to pay a sum to reserve the apartment, but this is not allowed.

That said, the lease may include an additional payment on top of rent called les charges. These are the communal costs paid by the landlord that the tenant is expected to reimburse. For example, costs for an elevator, doorman, communal heating, etc.

The charges can either be charged monthly in a flat-rate set out in the lease, or in regular instalments with the landlord paying back or requesting the difference at the end of the year. Only certain things can be considered a ‘recoverable’ charge – you can find the list here.

READ ALSO PROPERTY: What you need to know about ‘copropriété’ fees in France

Type of home insurance

Tenants must take out a home insurance policy for the property they rent. But landlords cannot dictate which insurance company they use. The choice of insurer is entirely down to the tenant.

READ ALSO: Assurance habitation: How to get home insurance in France

Activities in the apartment

As far as the law in France is concerned, a tenant is at home in the accommodation he or she occupies. Clauses that restrict the tenant’s political activities, union membership, or religious activities in the property is illegal.

Certain types of documents

When renting an apartment in France, you need to send over a dossier including lots of information about yourself. For foreigners, some of the information requested might even feel too invasive.

Landlords may request one form of identification, one proof of address, one or more documents attesting to your professional status, and one or more documents proving your financial status (ie ability to pay rent).

However, real estate agents and private landlords cannot ask for certain things.

These include: the would-be tenant’s “family record book (livret de famille), health insurance card (carte vitale), bank statements (relevé de compte bancaire), marriage contract or divorce decree (contrat de mariage ou du jugement de divorce), or for their criminal record (extrait de casier judiciaire)”, according to French government body CNIL.

SHOW COMMENTS