The English Investor is the go-to English-language resource for foreign property investors in France. Written by a tri-qualified lawyer, our guides cover legal structures, tax strategy, rental regulations, and practical advice for buying and managing French real estate.
From 1 October 2026 every new French lease gives a non-paying tenant six weeks, not two months, to clear the debt after a commandement de payer. What the new contrat type changes, which clock governs your existing lease, and the procedure that actually gets a property back.
INSEE's Q2 2026 IRL is 148.37, up 1.15% in a year and accelerating for the first time in two years. What foreign landlords can claim, the DPE freeze that still bites, and the one-year deadline.
A third of France's best-rated homes turn into ovens each summer. What the DPE letter actually measures, the summer-comfort indicator nobody reads, and the checks that spare you from buying a bouilloire thermique.
From 1 October 2026 every new French lease gives a non-paying tenant six weeks, not two months, to clear the debt after a commandement de payer. What the new contrat type changes, which clock governs your existing lease, and the procedure that actually gets a property back.
INSEE's Q2 2026 IRL is 148.37, up 1.15% in a year and accelerating for the first time in two years. What foreign landlords can claim, the DPE freeze that still bites, and the one-year deadline.
A third of France's best-rated homes turn into ovens each summer. What the DPE letter actually measures, the summer-comfort indicator nobody reads, and the checks that spare you from buying a bouilloire thermique.
The English Investor is a lawyer qualified in New York, England & Wales and Paris (Georgetown Law, Sciences Po), with more than a decade in private practice and French property held through his own SCIs. Every claim on this site is backed by an official source you can check. More on the About page.
For many British investors looking across the Channel, the dream of owning French property—whether a Parisian apartment or a farmhouse in Dordogne—often leads to...
Last Updated: June 2026 (originally July 2025) – Thinking of investing in short-term rentals (à la Airbnb) in France? You’re not alone. But be warned: France has...
The 2026 update to our UK housing guide: essentially flat headline prices, a two-speed regional split, the April 2025 stamp duty reset, collapsed net migration, and what it all means for buyers and investors.
The April 2026 update to our December 2024 piece: three French prime ministers in fifteen months, Le Pen's conviction and 2027 ban, the OAT-Bund spread at 74bps, and how much of the predicted UK ripple effect actually arrived.
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