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No notaire fee increase for 17 departments in France for property purchases
Higher fees in other areas result in increased cost of €500 per €100,000 when buying a home
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Bin charges soar in many areas of France
One commune has seen fees rise by 90% in five years
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What is the tontine option for property in France?
Option should be considered if buying for the first time
Can I claim expenses against income tax without invoices in France?
A lack of invoices for construction work on a property could prove problematic when selling up

Reader question: A UK-based friend is selling his French holiday home for €300,000. He bought land for €77,000 and had a house built for €200,000. However, the problem is that he has very few invoices for the construction. He entrusted the work to a maître d’oeuvre who told him what to pay, and who has now died and his company closed. We have estimates, bank statements and cheque stubs but the notaire says the fiscal representative will need invoices. Is it true? R.T.
Unfortunately, the notaire is correct. Invoices are required to be able to claim the expenses against income tax.
The only real option is to contact the contractors and see if they can provide a copy of the invoice for the payments that appear on the bank statements (cheque stubs are not allow-able) though it is worth also submitting the quotes, as long as the cheques tally with the amount on the quote.
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