Editorial resource

French property glossary

Fifty terms you need to follow a French property purchase, from notaire to DPE and compromis to SCI. Most definitions cite an official source (service-public.fr, notaires.fr, impots.gouv.fr, ADEME).

La Reserve Research · Updated 22 May 2026

Buying process

NotaireNotaire: A French notaire is a public official who authenticates property sales. Ownership of French real estate only passes once you sign in front of one. The purchase costs the notaire collects ("frais de notaire"), most of them taxes, come to about 7% of the price for existing properties in the Alpes-Maritimes (4.50% transfer tax kept) and 2–3% for new builds. Source: service-public.fr.
Preliminary sale agreement (compromis de vente)Compromis de vente: A binding pre-contract that buyer and seller sign once an offer is accepted. From notification, the buyer has a statutory 10-day cooling-off period. A deposit of 5–10% is usual. You normally sign the compromis at the notaire’s office or electronically. Source: notaires.fr.
Sale promisePromesse de vente: A unilateral pre-contract: only the seller commits to sell. The buyer holds a purchase option for a set period (often 3 months). In practice it is less common than the bilateral compromis. Source: notaires.fr.
Final deedActe authentique: The final deed of sale, signed before the notaire, usually 2–3 months after the compromis. It formally transfers ownership and is then filed with the French land registry. Source: service-public.fr.
Notaire feesFrais de notaire: The total collected by the notaire on a purchase: transfer duties (the bulk, paid to the state and local authorities), the notaire’s regulated fees, and disbursements. For existing properties, allow about 7% of the price in the Alpes-Maritimes, which kept its transfer tax at 4.50%, against 7–8% in the departments that moved to 5.00%. For new builds, 2–3%. Source: impots.gouv.fr.
Energy performance diagnosticDPE: The Energy Performance Diagnostic. Required at every sale since 2006, it grades the property from A to G on energy use and emissions. Since 1 January 2025, G-rated homes are barred from new or renewed leases, F-rated homes follow in 2028 and E-rated homes in 2034. A poor DPE weighs on the price. Source: ecologie.gouv.fr.
Carrez lawLoi Carrez: A 1996 law that requires sellers of a unit in co-ownership (apartments, condominiums) to state its exact private living area, measured to strict criteria. An error of more than 5% entitles the buyer to claim a price reduction. Source: legifrance.gouv.fr.
EasementServitude: A legal right one property holds over another: right of way, view, water flow and so on. The deed of sale lists them, and they stay attached to the property whoever owns it.

Ownership structures

Property-holding companySCI: A French civil property-holding company. Several people (often family) own the real estate together through shares. Widely used for estate planning and joint purchases, particularly by non-resident buyers who want to simplify French inheritance. Source: service-public.fr.
Joint ownershipIndivision: The default form of joint ownership when several buyers purchase together without forming an SCI. Each owner holds a defined share. Day-to-day management needs a two-thirds majority of the shares, but selling the property needs every co-owner’s consent (Code civil, article 815-3), which risks deadlock.
Split ownershipDémembrement: A French inheritance-planning structure that separates the right of use (usufruit) from bare ownership (nue-propriété). A classic way to reduce future inheritance tax. Parents often pass the nue-propriété to their children and keep the usufruit.
ViagerViager: A French life-annuity sale. The seller usually keeps the use of the property and receives an annuity from the buyer until death. Used in the hinterland, mostly by older owners without direct heirs.
TontineTontine: A purchase clause under which the property passes automatically to the surviving co-buyer at the first death. Rarely used today due to its unfavourable tax treatment.

Taxes and ongoing costs

Property taxTaxe foncière: Annual tax paid by the owner, resident or not. It is calculated on the cadastral rental value and varies widely from one commune to the next. As an order of magnitude, expect €1,800–€4,500/year for a 200 m² villa in the Riviera hinterland. Source: impots.gouv.fr.
Residence taxTaxe d’habitation: Formerly paid by the occupant and abolished for primary residences since 2023. It still applies to second homes. Communes in a tight housing-market zone (zone tendue) have the option to add a surcharge of 5% to 60% on second homes. In 2025 Valbonne, Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, Le Rouret and Roquefort-les-Pins applied 60%, Opio 30%, and Mougins, Grasse and Biot 20%. Check your commune’s current rate. Source: impots.gouv.fr, local tax data (REI 2025).
Capital gains taxPlus-value immobilière: Tax on the capital gain when selling property other than your main residence. The combined rate reaches 36.2% (19% income tax + 17.2% social contributions), with relief that grows with the holding period: full exemption from income tax after 22 years and from social contributions after 30. Source: impots.gouv.fr.
Real estate wealth taxIFI: Real Estate Wealth Tax. Applies to net real-estate wealth above €1.3 million (main residence included with a 30% allowance). Progressive scale from 0.5% to 1.5%. Non-residents pay it only on property located in France. Source: impots.gouv.fr.
Inheritance taxDroits de succession: Inheritance tax. French-located real estate is taxable in France regardless of the deceased’s or heirs' residency. The parent-to-child allowance is €100,000, and the progressive scale reaches 45% above €1.8 million. Source: impots.gouv.fr.
Co-ownership feesCharges de copropriété: Fees paid by owners in a co-owned residence: maintenance, concierge, lifts, gardens, pool. Allow €15–35/m² a year for a secure residence with services in the Riviera hinterland.

Building and technical

Building permitPermis de construire: Administrative authorisation required for works altering the structure or floor area beyond defined thresholds. Processing time: 2–3 months in unprotected zones, longer in classified sites. Source: service-public.fr.
Architecte des Bâtiments de France (ABF)Architecte des Bâtiments de France (ABF): A state architect who oversees works on or near historic monuments and in conservation areas. Within 500 m of a listed monument and in view of it, or inside a defined protection perimeter, their opinion is binding. This comes up often in Mougins village, Biot and Châteauneuf-de-Grasse.
CadastreCadastre: The public registry listing every land parcel in France with its owner, surface and category. Freely accessible online. Source: cadastre.gouv.fr.
Mortgage lienHypothèque: A security interest attached to real estate guaranteeing repayment of a loan. Registered with the French land registry. Its release upon resale incurs fees.
Floor-area ratioCoefficient d’occupation des sols (COS): The ratio between buildable floor area and land surface, defined by each commune’s local development plan (PLU). The 2014 ALUR law abolished it and replaced it with footprint and height rules, but the term is still a useful shorthand.
Local development planPLU: Each commune’s planning document (plan local d’urbanisme) defining buildability rules by zone: maximum height, footprint, setbacks, permitted materials. Read it before you buy land or plan an extension. Source: geoportail-urbanisme.gouv.fr.

Financing

Interest rateTaux d’intérêt: The cost of a mortgage. Rates change month to month: the Banque de France publishes average rates, and a broker gives you current offers. Non-residents get separate terms, usually less favourable.
Debt-service ratioTaux d’endettement: The percentage of monthly income devoted to debt service. Capped at 35% (insurance included) for residential mortgage loans, a rule binding on banks since 1 January 2022, with limited exceptions. Source: Haut Conseil de Stabilité Financière.
Mortgage insuranceAssurance emprunteur: Compulsory insurance covering death, disability and incapacity, required by lenders. Typically 0.2–0.5% of borrowed capital per year. Since the 2022 Lemoine law, you are free to change insurer at any time.
Loan guaranteeGarantie: A security required by the lender as an alternative to a mortgage lien. Mutual guarantee schemes (Crédit Logement and others) are faster and cheaper than a traditional mortgage registration.

Non-resident and international buying

Tax non-residentNon-résident fiscal: A person tax-domiciled outside France. Real estate located in France stays taxable in France (rental income, capital gains, real-estate wealth tax, inheritance), subject to bilateral tax treaties.
Tax treatyConvention fiscale: A bilateral treaty between France and another state preventing double taxation. Particularly relevant for US, UK, Swedish and Belgian buyers in our territory.
Tax representativeReprésentant fiscal: A natural or legal person appointed by a non-EU non-resident seller to declare and pay French capital gains tax. Mandatory above a price threshold. Source: impots.gouv.fr.
Long-stay visaVisa long séjour: The visa required for non-EU nationals staying more than 90 days in France. Multiple categories exist (visitor, talent, retiree). Buying property does not automatically confer visa rights.

Property classifications

BastideBastide: A Provençal country house, traditionally square in plan, with a tiled roof, lime-rendered façade and louvred shutters. Typical of the large 18th- and 19th-century estates in the hinterland.
MasMas: A traditional Provençal farmhouse, typically in exposed stone with a canal-tile roof. More modest and rustic than a bastide, and sought after by international buyers.
Contemporary villaVilla contemporaine: A recent build to a high specification, usually with modern lines, wide glazing and careful landscaping.
DomaineDomaine: A large estate, typically with over 5,000 m² of land, comprising a main house and often outbuildings (annexes, caretaker’s house, stables).
Village houseMaison de village: A terraced house within a historic village, typically arranged over several narrow floors, often without land. Highly characteristic of the old village centres (Biot, Mougins, Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, Le Rouret).
Pied-à-terrePied-à-terre: A small secondary residence used occasionally. Often purchased as a complement to a primary home elsewhere.

Market terms

Price per square metrePrix au mètre carré: The reference market indicator, calculated by dividing the sale price by the living area. It lets you compare neighbourhoods and periods. Published by the notaires (notaires.fr) and in the DVF open dataset on data.gouv.fr, which is updated twice a year.
Open property transaction databaseDVF: "Demandes de Valeurs Foncières": the public dataset of real-estate sales in France over the last five years (Alsace, Moselle and Mayotte excepted), free to use on data.gouv.fr. The reference source for market analysis. Source: data.gouv.fr.
Average days on marketDélai moyen de vente: The average duration between listing and compromis signature. In the Riviera hinterland it varies widely by price band and location, so ask for figures on comparable recent sales.
Exclusive mandateMandat exclusif: A contract whereby the seller entrusts their property to a single agency for a defined period (typically 3 months). In return the seller usually gets better commercial terms and more marketing effort.
Non-exclusive mandateMandat simple: A contract allowing the seller to list with multiple agencies simultaneously. Common for mid-market properties. It suits the top price tier less well, because there exclusivity protects discretion.
Off-marketHors marché (off-market): A property offered for sale without a public listing, shown only to a restricted circle of qualified buyers. Sellers choose it for discretion.
MLS networkRéseau MLS: A multi-listing service for sharing mandates between agencies. Less developed in France than in the United States but growing on the top price tier via professional consortia.

Regional context

Grasse countryPays grassois: The country around Grasse, in the hills behind Cannes and Nice. Administratively, the Communauté d’agglomération du Pays de Grasse groups Grasse (including Plascassier) with communes such as Mouans-Sartoux, Peymeinade and Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey. Valbonne, Opio, Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, Le Rouret and Roquefort-les-Pins belong to the Sophia Antipolis authority (CASA), and Mougins to Cannes Pays de Lérins.
HinterlandArrière-pays: The territory set back from the Mediterranean coast, typically 10–30 minutes inland. People choose it for the quiet and the old Provençal villages.
Sophia AntipolisSophia Antipolis: Europe’s first technology park, founded in 1969 across Valbonne, Mougins, Biot, Antibes and Vallauris. It counts about 2,500 companies and more than 40,000 jobs (Communauté d’agglomération Sophia Antipolis figures), and many hinterland buyers work there.
Antibes-Sophia Antipolis conurbationCASA: The inter-communal authority grouping 24 communes around Antibes and Sophia Antipolis. The reference administrative perimeter for many public policies (transport, planning).