Anyone moving to France will tell you that a big part of settling in is learning the language – so don’t miss this handy list of phrases for property buyers to make sure you know your DPE from your VEFA and your longère from your promesse de vente.
Check out our French A-Z guide for home buyers and you’ll be navigating your way through the world of property in no time!
A : Acte de vente
The acte de vente is the sales contract – the final one you’ll sign when you offer.
Explore our free insider guide, How to Negotiate Abroad, for help and advice from estate agents.
B : Bon de visite
Most agents ask for a bon de visite, which is a signed agreement that you won’t go off and find the property with another agent or circumvent them in favour of going privately to the seller.
C : Château
British buyers love a good château, or castle/manor – and they can be surprisingly affordable!
D : DPE/diagnostiques
These are compulsory diagnostic tests of the house’s energy performance that the seller must provide to you. Other diagnostics include for radon, termites and natural risks.
E : Euro
Buying in France means buying in euros, and that means you’re at the mercy of the constantly changing exchange markets – unless you plan ahead. Find out how in the Property Buyer’s Guide to Currency.
F : Frais d’agence
The agent’s fees are normally between 3-7% and are normally paid by the seller, although in some regions, like Brittany, they’re traditionally paid by the buyer.
Taken a shine to any of these properties? Make sure you’re prepared for a viewing trip with the tips and tricks from our Viewing Trip guide.
G : Géomètre-expert
Your géomètre-expert takes care of ‘topographical’ matters: soil sampling, defining plot boundaries, valuation of plots and more.
H : Hypothécaire
A prêt hypothécaire is a mortgage, which can often be easier to obtain in France than in the UK.
I : Isolation
Isolation is a false friend in the property context, and very much a good thing – it means insulation.
J : Jardin
Your jardin is your garden, and most overseas buyers find themselves doubling the size of what they could afford back home.
K : Kit préfabriquée
A maison en kit préfabriquée is a prefabricated house, manufactured off-site in advance.
L : Longère
A longère is a traditional long-house, much beloved of British buyers. Traditionally one storey, many now have spacious attic conversions, too.
M : Mairie
The mayor’s office is the first place to go for most legal matters, documents and so on. Even small hamlets will have one, and, in smaller communities, it’s well worth introducing yourself as soon as you move.
Get your free, no-obligation quote from our property insurance partner today.
N : Notaire
The notaire is a key figure in your property purchase, representing the state and acting as an unbiased witness and authenticator of all documents.
O : Obligation
The seller has a legal obligation to provide you with information about the home, such as the exact details of the property, existence of rights of way, energy diagnostics and more.
P : Promesse de vente
Also called the compromis de vente, this is when the seller provisionally accepts your offer to buy, with a ten-day cooling-off period for you.
Q : Quotité d’assurance
Each borrower’s share of an insured mortgage, if the mortgage is joint.
R : Rénovation
Easy to guess, rénovation is renovation – very popular among British buyers, although the French do sometimes find our love of DIY somewhat perplexing.
S : Servitude
Nothing to do with servants, a servitude is a right of way or other kind of protected passage, either for people, for public services like water, or a protected viewpoint.
T : Taxe foncière/d’habitation
The two property taxes you may have to pay. The taxe foncière is paid by the owner, and the taxe d’habitation by the occupant. However, the taxe d’habitation is currently in the process of being abolished.
U : Urbanisme
The Code de l’urbanisme is the building code, which lays down the rules, among other things, for planning permission. France has a lot of specific rules on renovations and major works, such as special stipulations if you’re near a church.
V : VEFA
VEFA, or vente en état futur d’achèvement, is the final contract of an off-plan home.It normally includes a lot of technical detail and plans of the property, as well as time frames for the works.
We can put you in touch with an expert, trustworthy Independent Financial Advisor today.
W : Vasistas
It starts with a v these days but used to be a w (and we were struggling). A vasistas is a skylight, transom window or fanlight. Supposedly, the name came about from the German ‘was ist das?’, or ‘what is that?’.
X :
Y : Yourte
Yurts are a niche but surprisingly popular form of holiday business within their sector, offering a relatively low-maintenance ‘glamping’ experience to guests. If you’ve got plenty of land, this could be an option.
Z : Zone A, B, C
If you’re moving with children, you’ll soon know whether you’re in zone A, B, C, as the school holidays are set differently in each one, to avoid overloading transport, roads and services.
