Price changes, rental strife, tax explainer: French property round-up

Couple cannot enter own property after short let gone awry

A couple who rented a property for three days as a short-term let cannot enter it, because the person occupying it refuses to leave.

The woman says she is a victim of domestic abuse with children and needs a place to stay, asking if she could rent the property until she finds suitable alternative accommodation, even though the original lease was only between November 8 and 10.

The couple took the issue to the local gendarmerie who informed them that because of France’s winter truce, limited action could be taken, and they could not enter the property unless invited in.

The only other solution is a costly and lengthy procedure involving a bailiff.

The couple are planning to stage a protest outside the property.

Read more: Couple let French home to woman for 3 days but she refuses to leave

Tax bill double error for couple in new home

A couple from Nîmes were handed a taxe foncière bill for their property, despite not living in the property until partway through the year.

An error from the property developer’s led to the completion date being listed as the end of construction (Decmber 2022), and not when the transaction was finalised (April 2023), with authorities sending this year’s tax bill to the couple.

However, even if the completion date was brought forward in error, the couple should not have been liable for the tax as they were moving into a newly-built property (which are exempt for up to two years).

Read more: Couple land French tax bill after developers’ ‘completion date error’

The rules around taxe d’habitation

With a number of readers receiving taxe d’habitation (another form of property tax) bills in the post or in their online spaces on the French tax website this month, this ‘Explainer’ article answers questions you might have about the tax.

We review who has to pay it, how and when it is paid, and other key information (second) homeowners need to know.

A second article covers the exemptions and reductions available in greater detail, although not many exist after the reformation of the tax in 2023.

Read more: Explainer: France’s taxe d’habitation property tax

Read more: What are the two exemptions to paying French taxe d’habitation?

New trends in the French property market

We review the latest set of notaire data from France, which looks at trends in the property market, as well as providing an overview of price changes on non-new build properties over a 12-month period.

We highlight seven trends noted by the notaires, including their predictions for end of year price slumps, and a drop in house sales over 2023.

The article shows information regarding both houses and flats and which areas appear more resistant to a price drop.

Read more: Seven key trends in new French property market data

Read more: From +12% to -9.8%: how French property prices have changed in year