Fees collected by legal professionals in France are set to decrease, including those paid to notaires. However, savings will only be significant on small transactions while most Paris real estate buyers won’t notice much change at all.  Starting in May, buyers in France will benefit from ever-so-slightly reduced notaire fees on their purchase. Part of the Macron Law passed last year, a decree published […]

A new decree sets the rules for creating and managing cohousing communities — intentional groups of co-owners. These housing cooperatives are considered legal entities, enabling people to come together to design, build and run their housing groups. In 2014, the Alur law — law on access to housing and renovated town planning — officially recognized […]

The French government recently passed a tax measure aimed at encouraging the transformation of vacant offices into housing in Paris. Over 800,000 square meters of office space in the city are reportedly unoccupied. New finance laws for 2016 include a tax measure intended to push commercial property owners to convert offices in Paris into housing. […]

French deputies are supporting an amendment that may make it illegal for tenants to sublet their properties on short-term rental websites such as Airbnb without their landlord’s explicit approval.

As of January 1st, 2016, property purchased in Paris is subject to an increased purchase tax — or transfer tax. This tax has increased by 0.7% for the purchase of housing, office or commercial property. While the vast majority of French departments had already taken this step, Paris is the latest to apply an increased […]

In more good news for the real estate sector, sales of new-build properties have been soaring since the beginning of the year. The French real estate market, struggling since the 2008 crisis, is on the mend. An increase of 19.3% in sales of new property was recorded in the first quarter of 2015, with real […]

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 […]

Since August 2012, non-residents who sell a property in France, or derive income from property rentals, have had to pay social charges totaling 15.5% on the net capital gain or the income. A recent judgment by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has overturned this rule.

Marilyn Benichou, Senior Counsel of Paris law firm De Gaulle, Fleurance & Associés explains some changes to French regulations about capital gains tax that apply to non-residents. From January 1st 2015, the French government introduced a number of changes to the capital gains tax regime, by means of the revised Finance Law 2014 and the […]