Real Estate

Most UK, US, Canadian and Australian sellers of French property need to appoint a représentant fiscal accrédité before the notarial closing. Here is the structural map — when the requirement applies, the three automatic dispenses, the post-Brexit shift, and what it costs.

Every foreign owner of French property pays taxe foncière annually. Here is the structural map for 2026 — how the bill is calculated, the October deadlines, the new-build exemption, and the secondary-residence surtax that catches owners off guard.

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.

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.

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.

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.