Editorial resource

French Real Estate Glossary

Fifty essential terms for understanding French real estate — from notaire to DPE, compromis to SCI. Each definition is sourced from official references (service-public.fr, notaires.fr, impots.gouv.fr, ADEME).

La Reserve | Riviera Editorial Team · Updated 22 May 2026

Buying process

NotaryNotaire: A French notary is a public official who authenticates property transactions. Signing in front of a notaire is mandatory to transfer ownership of French real estate. Their fees ("frais de notaire") are regulated, totalling roughly 7-8% of the price for existing properties and 2-3% for new builds. [Source: service-public.fr]
Sale CompromiseCompromis de vente: A binding pre-contract signed between buyer and seller once an offer is accepted. The buyer has a statutory 10-day cooling-off period after notification. A 5-10% deposit is usually paid. The compromis is normally signed at the notaire's office or sent electronically. [Source: notaires.fr]
Sale PromisePromesse de vente: A unilateral pre-contract in which only the seller commits to selling. The buyer has a purchase option valid for a defined period (typically 3 months). Less common in practice than the bilateral compromis. [Source: notaires.fr]
Final DeedActe authentique: The final deed of sale, signed in front of the notary typically 2-3 months after the compromis. It transfers ownership officially and is then filed with the French land registry. [Source: service-public.fr]
Notary FeesFrais de notaire: The total fees collected by the notary on a sale: registration duties (the bulk, paid to the state), the notary's own fees, and disbursements. For existing properties, allow 7-8% of the price. For new builds, 2-3%. [Source: impots.gouv.fr]
Energy Performance DiagnosticDPE: The Energy Performance Diagnostic. Mandatory at sale since 2006, it grades the property A-G on energy consumption and emissions. Since 2025, G-rated properties cannot be let; F-rated follows in 2028. A poor DPE meaningfully impacts valuation. [Source: ademe.fr]
Carrez LawLoi Carrez: A 1996 law requiring sellers of properties in co-ownership (condominiums, apartments) to declare the precise private habitable surface measured to strict criteria. Any discrepancy greater than 5% entitles the buyer to a price reduction claim. [Source: legifrance.gouv.fr]
EasementServitude: A legal right that one property holds over another (right of way, view, water flow, etc.). Easements are listed in the deed of sale and remain attached to the property regardless of ownership change.

Ownership structures

Property-Holding CompanySCI: A French civil property-holding company. Allows multiple parties (often family members) to own real estate together via shares. Widely used for estate planning and joint purchases, particularly by non-resident buyers wishing to simplify French inheritance. [Source: service-public.fr]
Joint OwnershipIndivision: The default form of joint ownership when multiple buyers purchase together without forming an SCI. Each owner holds a defined share. Major decisions require unanimous consent, which can lead to deadlock — most buyers prefer an SCI for this reason.
Split OwnershipDémembrement: A French inheritance-planning structure separating the right of use (usufruit) from bare ownership (nue-propriété). A classic tool to reduce future inheritance taxes — often used by parents transferring nue-propriété to children while retaining usufruit.
ViagerViager: A French life-annuity sale where the seller typically retains use of the property and receives a lifetime annuity from the buyer until death. Common in the hinterland, particularly among 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 property tax paid by the owner regardless of residency. Calculated on the cadastral rental value. Varies significantly by commune — as an order of magnitude, expect €1,800–€4,500/year for a 200 m² villa in the Grasse hinterland. [Source: impots.gouv.fr]
Residence TaxTaxe d'habitation: Formerly paid by the property's occupant, abolished for primary residences since 2023. Still applies to second homes — and many tourist-zone communes have voted surcharges of 5-60%. Valbonne, Mougins, Cannes, Antibes and most of our perimeter apply surcharges. [Source: impots.gouv.fr]
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 progressive relief by 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 are only assessed on their French-located property. [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/year for a secure residence with services in the Grasse 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 specialist architect overseeing works on or near historic monuments and in conservation areas. Their binding opinion is required within 500 m of a listed monument. Particularly relevant in Mougins-village, Biot, and Châteauneuf-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 urbanism plan (PLU). Officially abolished by the 2014 ALUR law but replaced with footprint and height rules; the concept remains a useful shorthand.
Local Urbanism PlanPLU: Each commune's urbanism plan defining buildability rules by zone: maximum height, footprint, setbacks, permitted materials. Essential to consult before buying land or planning an extension. [Source: geoportail-urbanisme.gouv.fr]

Financing

Interest RateTaux d'intérêt: The cost of a mortgage. As of 2026, 20-year fixed rates for French residents sit around 3.4-3.8%. Non-residents access distinct terms, typically 50-100 basis points higher.
Debt-Service RatioTaux d'endettement: The percentage of monthly income devoted to debt service. Capped at 35% (insurance included) since 2022 for primary-residence loans. [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. External insurer delegation has been freely available since the 2022 Lemoine law.
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. French-located real estate remains taxable in France (rental income, capital gains, real-estate wealth tax, inheritance) — modulated by 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 mansion, traditionally with a flat roof, lime-rendered façade and louvred shutters. Typical of large 18th-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. Highly sought by international buyers.
Contemporary VillaVilla contemporaine: A recent high-specification build, typically with modern architectural lines, extensive glazing and careful landscape integration. Particularly active market in Mougins-Schuller and Castellaras.
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-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 habitable surface. Allows comparison across neighbourhoods and time periods. Updated monthly by notaires.fr and the DVF open dataset on data.gouv.fr.
Open Property Transaction DatabaseDVF: "Demandes de Valeurs Foncières" — the public dataset listing every real-estate transaction in mainland France since 2014, freely available 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 Grasse hinterland in 2026, this runs around 95 days for villas and 60 days for well-located apartments.
Exclusive MandateMandat exclusif: A contract whereby the seller entrusts their property to a single agency for a defined period (typically 3 months). Yields preferential commercial terms and stronger marketing focus.
Non-Exclusive MandateMandat simple: A contract allowing the seller to list with multiple agencies simultaneously. Common for mid-market properties; less suited to the prestige segment where exclusivity protects discretion.
Off-MarketOff-market: A property offered for sale without public listing, shown only to a restricted circle of qualified buyers. Represents a meaningful share of the prestige segment in the hinterland.
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 prestige segment via professional consortia.

Regional context

Grasse CountryPays grassois: A sub-region of the Nice middle country centred on Grasse, encompassing Valbonne, Mougins, Opio, Châteauneuf-Grasse, Le Rouret, Roquefort-les-Pins and Plascassier. Climate is milder than the coast; the market is predominantly premium residential.
HinterlandArrière-pays: The territory set back from the Mediterranean coast, typically 10-30 minutes inland. Valued for its quiet, its historic villages, and its Provençal authenticity.
Sophia AntipolisSophia Antipolis: Europe's first technology park, founded in 1969 across Valbonne, Mougins, Biot, Antibes and Vallauris. It concentrates 38,000 jobs and 60 nationalities, making it a major driver of premium real-estate demand in the hinterland.
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, urbanism).