Property Renovation in France

You will already have had a good look around the property yourself. If the walls and roof look straight from all angles and there is no sign that water is entering the house through missing tiles, that eliminates the majority of possible problems straight away. It is also quite hard to conceal ancient electrical and plumbing systems - look at the fuse board and behind the sink for a good idea if these systems are in need of replacing (not at the sockets - it is easy to put a new plug socket on old wiring).

None of these things are necessarily problems that will stop you buying a house, but you need to be aware of them before you buy or agree a price. (Read on …)

Legally Required pre-purchase checks

The following aspects of a property are always checked as part of the purchase of a property in France. While all renovation projects in France are going to uncover some surprises (some welcome and some not) there are some problems that you do need to know about in advance. It is the responibility of the person selling the property to provide a report prepared by a certified specialist verifying the following items

Asbestos

This check applies to all properties with a ‘permis de construire’ (planning permission) dated before 1st July 1997. The most common places where asbestos is found is in insulation, especially near very hot surfaces (eg built in fireplaces), and various other roofing materials. Before panicking if you are told tht asbestos has been found you should be aware that: (Read on …)