Ask Miranda: how are appliances and/or furniture treated if they are included in a property purchase in France?

Question: I am purchasing an apartment in Paris. I am being charged on top of the purchase price for the refrigerator, stove, oven, dishwasher etc. Is this normal?

Normally, appliances and/or furniture are not included in the sale of an apartment. However, you can agree with the seller to buy them along with the property.

In that case, their value is normally split from the purchase price and you pay for them as a separate transaction. This is to avoid paying notarial fees on their value. In France, these fees are payable by the buyer on a real estate purchase. They add up to about 7% of the purchase price, including stamp duty of 5.09% in Paris. If the appliances were included in the purchase price, you would pay those fees on the total amount.

You need to make sure that the appliances are of recent date, since the value stated must include depreciation. New items depreciate at 20% of their value per year, so any appliance that is more than five years old should not be included.

Antique furniture is a different matter and should be valued separately.