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 […]

The French real estate sector’s renewed activity is set to continue into this year. Olivier Eluère, economist at the Crédit Agricole explains its recovery’s positive influence on the country’s economy. After a lengthy housing slump the property sector is doing well again while the construction industry has also recovered, stabilizing in 2015 after seven years […]

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. […]

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 […]

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.

The national average rate for residential occupancy tax (taxe d’habitation) payable on property in France has crept up 19% over ten years, according to an analysis based on official figures from the tax office/INSEE and published by Home’n’go. The French taxe d’habitation is equivalent to a residence tax and is paid by the person or household unit living in […]

The UK government has cracked down on the practice of purchasing properties through a company structure in order to avoid paying stamp duty. This measure is aimed in particular at wealthy foreign buyers who have bought investment properties that have subsequently been left empty.