Major rental housing platform Airbnb announced on August 25th that it will be collecting tourist tax from guests renting accommodation through them in Paris and giving it to the city, starting October 1st. Until now, site users offering their property for rent were meant to collect the tax from guests and relay it to the […]

After a summer rich in reforms, important laws have come into force affecting property transactions in France. From rent caps and lease contracts to furniture lists and codes of ethics, here are the seven major changes to be aware of in French real estate for Fall 2015.

Housing Ministry passes a decree amending the Loi Alur, aimed at reducing the paperwork and cost of selling an apartment in Paris.    On August 26th, Minister of Housing Sylvia Pinel presented a new measure to the Council of Ministers to amend certain provisions of the Loi Alur and thus facilitate real estate transactions on Parisian apartments. Garnering […]

In the wake of new rent control laws coming into force in Paris, the imprecision of its measures confound many. What we do know: On August 1st, new rent control regulations came into effect in the French capital within the framework of the Loi ALUR, for access to housing and renovated urban planning. It was […]

The time frame to decide whether to go forward with buying a property in France after signing a promesse de vente, or preliminary contract, has been extended from 7 to 10 days under the Loi Macron. As of August 8th, residential real estate buyers in France will have 10 days after signing the initial purchase agreement to […]

Some decisions on local taxes taken at the municipal level this year in France will affect homeowners in 2015 and 2016. New increases in residential taxes (taxe d’habitation) and property tax (taxe foncière) as well as surtaxes on second homes and building lots are part of the program.

A new decree specifies a list of items that must be present in a rental property for it to qualify as furnished. A sofa bed, desk and wardrobe are no longer enough to qualify a rental property as furnished. A decree published on 31st July, under the ALUR law (for access to housing and renovated […]

With new rent control laws in effect in the capital since August 1st, Paris property owners contest the regulation while landlords in the North of France fight hard against similar legislation passing in Lille. While 8 out of 10 people in France approve of the rent caps according to a poll led by opinion and market […]

The clock is ticking: property sales by non-French residents in 2014 and possibly 2013 were overtaxed. Refund claims must be filed before December 31, 2015.  People who recently sold real estate in France but reside outside the country are owed substantial refunds for capital gains taxes and French social security contributions.

Routinely included in real estate deals in the United States, title insurance has only recently emerged in France, and only under limited circumstances.