Buying a property in France is a major milestone, whether it’s a main residence, a holiday home, or an investment. The process is structured and well regulated, but it’s also different from what many UK and US buyers are used to.
Understanding the main stages, who does what (agent, notary, bank), and where your money is at each point will help you move from “dreaming” to safely buying a house in France.
Below are the five key steps to buying a property in France.
Table of contents
Step 1: Define your property project and budget
Before you start scrolling through listings, you need two things:
- A clear idea of what you’re looking for
- A realistic view of what you can afford
Know your budget
Your borrowing capacity in France will depend on:
- Income and existing financial commitments
- Savings / deposit
- Residency status (resident vs non-resident)
- Age and type of income (employment, self-employed, pension)
You can:
- Speak to a French bank or a mortgage broker
- Use online simulators to estimate borrowing capacity
- Factor in notary fees and taxes (usually around 7–8% for older properties)
If your income or assets are in another currency (GBP, USD, etc.), you also need to think about exchange rate risk. A small move in EUR/GBP between offer and completion can add thousands to your budget if you don’t plan for it.
Clarify your criteria
Alongside the numbers, define:
- Location(s) you’re genuinely open to
- Property type: house, apartment, village home, new build vs older
- Number of bedrooms, outside space, parking
- Proximity to shops, schools, transport, healthcare
This doesn’t need to be perfect on day one, but having a first brief will make conversations with agents and notaries much more productive.
Step 2: Search for property and do proper due diligence
With your criteria and budget in hand, the search can start.
You can:
- Browse French property portals
- Work with local estate agents (agences immobilières)
- Use a buyer’s agent / property finder
- Rely on word-of-mouth in areas with strong expat communities
Finding the right place is only half the job. The other half is checking what you’re really buying.
Check area and price: DVF and Patrim
To understand whether the asking price is reasonable, don’t rely on listings alone. Use official tools showing real sale prices:
- DVF (Demande de valeurs foncières) – open data on transactions over the last 5 years
- Patrim – a tool available through your French tax account (impots.gouv.fr)
These let you compare the property’s price per m² with recent, nearby sales.
Understand the diagnostics (DDT) and energy constraints
The seller must provide a Dossier de Diagnostic Technique (DDT), which typically includes:
- DPE – energy performance rating
- Lead report (CREP) for pre-1949 properties
- Asbestos (for buildings with permits before 1997)
- Gas and electricity checks if installations are more than 15 years old
- Termite report in designated areas
- État des risques – natural and technological risk report
- Sanitation report where not connected to mains drainage
On top of this, an energy audit (audit énergétique) is now mandatory when selling certain energy-inefficient properties (F/G-rated houses and buildings, extended to some E-rated properties from 2025 onwards).
From 1 January 2026, the DPE calculation factor for electricity changes, improving the rating of some electrically heated homes. As a buyer, this matters: the DPE and audit influence both value and future renovation planning.
If you’re buying an apartment: co-ownership and charges
For apartments (and some houses in shared developments), you’ll be part of a copropriété (co-ownership). French law (loi ALUR) requires the seller to provide key documents, including:
- The règlement de copropriété (co-ownership rules)
- Minutes of the last 3 general meetings (PV d’assemblée générale)
- The maintenance log (carnet d’entretien)
- The provisional budget and recent service charge statements
These documents show:
- Ongoing and future works (façade, roof, lift, etc.)
- Level and stability of service charges
- Quality of building management
Skipping this analysis is one of the biggest mistakes foreign buyers make.
Local taxes and planning
Finally, check with the mairie (town hall):
- Local property taxes (especially taxe foncière)
- Planned infrastructure or urban projects
- The local urban plan (PLU), which governs future extensions, pool installations, outbuildings, etc.
Planning a viewing trip to France?
If you’re not yet living in France, a viewing trip (or several) is essential. You wouldn’t buy in the UK or US without seeing the property; the same applies here, especially as areas can change dramatically from village to village.
Use your trip to:
- Visit different neighbourhoods and villages at various times of day
- Talk to local agents and start building relationships
- Meet a notaire and, if needed, an independent bilingual adviser
- Start practical conversations with a currency specialist and your bank or broker
This is where the “team” around your purchase starts to form.
Step 3: Make an offer and secure your financing
Once you’ve found a property you want to buy, the next stage is the offer.
How offers work in France
- Offers are usually written, often via the estate agent.
- They’re typically valid for a limited period (for example 5–10 days).
- They can be at the asking price or negotiated.
An accepted written offer doesn’t transfer ownership, but it shows intent and usually leads to drafting the preliminary contract (promesse or compromis).
Choose your notary
In France, all property transactions must go through a notary (notaire). As the buyer, you can:
- Use the seller’s notary
- Choose your own notary (very common and recommended)
If there are two notaries, they share the fee, it does not cost more. Fees are regulated.
This is the right moment to:
- Choose your notary
- Send them the agent’s details and property information
- Raise any specific concerns (usufruct, co-ownership, land boundaries, access, etc.)
Financing: be prepared before signing anything binding
By this stage, you should already have:
- A mortgage simulation or
- A mortgage agreement in principle, if you’re financing the property
The future preliminary contract must include a condition suspensive d’obtention de prêt, a suspensive condition for obtaining the loan. This is mandatory if you’re buying with a mortgage.
If the bank refuses under the terms of this clause:
- The sale is cancelled
- Your deposit (see below) is refunded
> You might be interested in this article: Property rights in France: Know your rights when buying a house
Step 4: Sign the preliminary contract (promesse or compromis de vente)
The preliminary contract formalises the agreement between buyer and seller before the final deed.
You’ll usually sign one of two forms:
- Compromis de vente – bilateral agreement; both parties commit to complete, subject to conditions
- Promesse unilatérale de vente – the seller grants the buyer an option to buy within a specified period
In both cases, this is a major legal step.
What the preliminary contract includes
It will typically set out:
- Identities and details of buyer and seller
- Description and address of the property
- History (previous deed, previous owner, any mortgages or servitudes)
- Price and payment terms
- Whether a loan is involved (and loan conditions)
- Responsibility for agency fees
- Target date for signing the acte authentique (final deed)
- Conditions suspensives (mortgage, planning, co-ownership approvals, etc.)
- Information on the buyer’s 10-day cooling-off period
The DDT (diagnostics) and, for co-owned properties, the ALUR documents must be annexed. If essential documents are missing, it can affect timelines and, in some cases, your rights.
Deposit: how much and where does it go?
At this stage, the buyer normally pays a deposit of around 5–10% of the purchase price.
- It is not paid to the seller
- It is held in escrow by the notary or, in some cases, by the agent in a registered, guaranteed account (Loi Hoguet)
This deposit will later be deducted from the final amount due at completion.
🔗 Go further with our article: How much security deposit do you need to buy a house in France?
The 10-day legal cooling-off period
After signing (and receiving formal notification of the signed contract):
- You have a 10-day cooling-off period (délai de rétractation SRU)
- It starts the day after you receive the contract via registered post or formal hand-over
- You can withdraw for any reason, without penalty
If you withdraw correctly within these 10 days:
- The professional holding your deposit must refund it within 21 days
- The sale is cancelled
Outside of this period, your deposit is protected by the conditions suspensives. If, for example, your mortgage is refused under the terms of the contract, the sale falls through and your deposit is refunded.
If you simply change your mind after the 10 days, and no suspensive condition applies, the seller can usually keep the deposit as compensation.
Step 5: Sign the deed of sale (acte authentique) and become owner
The final step in buying a house in France is signing the acte authentique de vente at the notary’s office.
What happens at completion
- The notary reads or summarises the deed and ensures both parties understand the terms
- You pay:
- The balance of the purchase price, minus the deposit already paid
- The notary fees and registration taxes (often around 7–8% for older properties)
- The seller receives the funds via the notary
- You receive the keys and become the legal owner
The notary then handles:
- Registration of the transaction with the Service de publicité foncière
- Payment of registration taxes to the State and local authorities
You’ll usually receive:
- An attestation de propriété shortly after completion, a certificate you can use for insurance, utilities, and administrative purposes
- Your formal titre de propriété (title deed) a few months later, once registration is complete
Managing currency risk when buying a property in France
If your income or capital is in GBP, USD or another currency, and your purchase is in EUR, exchange rate movements can have a real impact. Between making an offer and completing, the euro can move significantly against your home currency, increasing (or decreasing) the cost in your base currency.
Working with a specialist foreign exchange provider can help you:
- Secure more competitive rates than many high-street banks
- Use forward contracts or structured solutions to protect your budget
- Avoid last-minute surprises when large transfers are due
For many expats buying a house in France, managing currency risk is as important as negotiating the right price. If you want to find out how we can optimise your finances, book a free consultation call with us to discuss your FX strategy.
Key takeaways: buying a house in France as an expat
- The process is structured into five clear steps: define your project, search and assess, make an offer, sign the preliminary contract, sign the deed.
- France offers strong buyer protections, including diagnostics, mandatory disclosures, and a 10-day cooling-off period.
- Deposits (usually 5–10%) are held in escrow and refunded if you retract within the legal period or a suspensive condition fails.
- Co-ownership and energy rules have become more technical; reading diagnostics and building documents carefully is now essential.
- Currency and cross-border finance deserve as much attention as the bricks and mortar.
Buying a property in France is absolutely achievable as an international buyer, provided you approach it with good advice, realistic numbers, and a clear view of the steps ahead.
Updated in November 2025.
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