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Buying French Property as a US Person: The Tax-Reporting Stack You Cannot Skip...

A field guide to the IRS reporting stack — FBAR, Form 8938, Form 8865, Schedule E, Foreign Tax Credit — that US persons take on the moment they buy French property, with the SCI classification puzzle and the post-2019 CSG/CRDS creditability under LB&I-04-0819-007.

When a French Tenant Hides Their Assets: The 2026 Criminal Pathway

When a French tenant overstays after lease termination, refuses to pay, AND shuffles their assets to dodge enforcement, the landlord has a criminal-law tool most don't know about. The Cour de Cassation, on 9 April 2026, confirmed that the post-termination occupation indemnity is quasi-delictual — and therefore covered by the criminal offence of organising fraudulent insolvency under article 314-7 of the Code pénal. Punishable by up to 3 years' imprisonment and a €45,000 fine. What every French landlord — domestic or foreign — should know.

France’s 2026 Notary-Fee Hike: Why British Buyers Pay More

From 1 April 2025, French départements can raise their DMTO rate from 4.5% to 5% under article 116 of the Loi de finances 2025. By April 2026, ~83 of France's 100 départements have done so. For a typical British buyer of a resale flat in Paris or the Côte d'Azur, the practical effect is a notary-fee bill that's €2,500 to €5,000 higher than a year ago — and most British buyers can't claim the primo-accédant exemption that would let them avoid it.

France’s 2026 CSG Hike: The 7.5% Carve-Out for UK Landlords

France raised CSG on capital income by 1.4 points on 1 January 2026 — but bare rental and real-estate gains were specifically exempted, while LMNP got hit. And UK-resident landlords with the right A1 or S1 paperwork can pay just 7.5% on every euro of net rental income, an 11-point saving most British landlords have never been told about.

How a Tontine Clause Can Void Your French SCI (2026 Ruling)

The Cour de Cassation's 9 April 2026 ruling is a brutal warning to British couples holding a French property through a small SCI: a tontine clause that covers all the shares makes the SCI null from inception. We unpack the trap, the practical fix that preserves the tax-efficient outcome, and what to do if your existing statutes are at risk.

French Copropriété AGM: The 2-Month Contestation Clock (2026 Ruling)

The Cour de Cassation has just confirmed that the 2-month deadline to contest a French copropriete AGM decision runs from the day the registered letter was first presented at your address — even if you never picked it up. A procedural trap for non-resident British landlords, explained with the 16 April 2026 ruling and the wider French property timetable.

Fixing a French Notarial Deed Error: The 5-Year Window (2026 Ruling)

A 16 April 2026 Cour de Cassation ruling settles, for the first time, that an action to rectify a French notarial deed of property sale is a personal action with a 5-year prescription. What British buyers need to know.

Renters’ Rights Act 2026: How Britain Just Caught Up to France

At one minute past midnight on 1 May 2026, England's biggest tenancy reform in nearly four decades came into force. What the Renters' Rights Act does, and how the new English regime compares to French law that's been in place since 1989.

Bail à Vie at French Auction: A 2010 Ruling British Buyers Must Know

In 2004, two buyers won a French house at auction — only to discover the existing tenant had a lifetime clause they'd inherited. The 2010 Cour de Cassation ruling every British investor must know.

IRL Q1 2026: French Rent Revision for British Landlords

INSEE's Q1 2026 IRL of 146.60 (+0.78% YoY) sets the rent-revision cap on French residential leases. A British landlord's guide to article 17-1, the DPE F/G freeze, the DOM/Corsica indices, and the one-year invocation deadline.

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