The English Investor

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. Anonymous by professional obligation - which is why every claim on this site is backed by an official source you can check. More on the About page.

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Stamp Duty vs Frais de Notaire: What You Actually Pay When Buying Property in the UK and France (2026)

A cross-border comparison of UK Stamp Duty Land Tax and French frais de notaire in 2026 — the bands, the surcharges, the carve-outs, and concrete worked examples at £500K and €500K for primary residence, second home, non-resident and new-build purchases.

French Expropriation Ruling: Foreign Owners Can Add the Lost-Rent Indemnity on Appeal

A Cour de cassation ruling of 9 April 2026 confirms that a property owner expropriated in France can claim the indemnity for lost rental income for the first time on appeal — a useful procedural opening for any foreign owner of a let French property.

How to File Your French Non-Resident Tax Return in 2026: The Foreign-Owner’s Checklist

If you own French property and live abroad, you owe a French tax return by 21 May 2026 — even with zero rental income. Here is the box-by-box walkthrough, deadlines, and the five mistakes foreign owners make every year.

The 90/180 Schengen Rule for Foreign Owners of French Property: How Long You Can Actually Stay

A non-EU passport holder can spend a maximum of 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in the Schengen Area. This is the rule that catches more foreign owners of French property at the border than any other piece of post-Brexit law — and the VLS-T visa is the legal way around it.

Congé pour Reprise: A Landlord’s Death Mid-Notice Voids It (2026 Ruling)

An elderly French landlady served notice to repossess her tenanted flat, then died before the preavis expired. Her son tried to step in. On 16 April 2026 the Cour de cassation said no — and drew the dividing line every cross-border landlord now needs to know.

The Real Cost of a Paris Pied-à-Terre in 2026: An Honest Spreadsheet for Foreign Buyers

What does a Paris pied-à-terre actually cost a foreign owner in 2026? We walked through a representative €500,000 one-bedroom and added up every line — DMTO, copropriété, taxe d'habitation surtax, CSG/CRDS, exit CGT. The honest after-tax net yield is 2.1%, lifestyle value notwithstanding.