SCI & Property Law

Your Tenant Is the Neighbours’ Problem, Which Makes It Yours: What a Landlord Abroad Must Do When the Complaint Arrives

When a tenant disturbs the neighbours, French law holds the owner answerable and expects a precise sequence: evidence, a formal notice, a free conciliation, then termination or non-renewal. The steps, the 1996 ruling that your letters do not shield you, the 2025 law that lets the préfet force your hand, and why the lease’s termination clause only bites after a court has already ruled.

Selling a French Shop to Your Own Tenant? The Agent’s Fee Is Not the Tenant’s Problem

A commercial tenant who buys the premises under its statutory right of first refusal owes no estate agent's fee, whatever the lease or the offer says, and can claim back what it paid, the Cour de cassation held on 1 October 2026. What the right is, what changed on 28 May 2026, and what to put in the agent's mandate before you sell.

The 1 October Lease Checklist: What a Compliant French Rental Contract Must Contain (2026)

From 1 October 2026 every new or formally renewed French lease must follow the rewritten template. Here is what a compliant contract contains, which leases are caught, the one omission that voids the document, and a printable one-page checklist.

Thank Your Syndic for Good: What a Syndicat Coopératif Is, and What the Cour de cassation Just Let You Outsource (2026 Ruling)

A small French building can run itself through a syndicat coopératif and buy in help to do it. The Cour de cassation ruling of 17 September 2026 on Matera says where help ends and the licence begins, and what that means for an owner abroad.

One Owner’s Roof, Everyone’s Liability: the Syndicat Pays for the Leak Whatever the Règlement Says (2026 Ruling)

A roof or terrace held en jouissance privative is yours to maintain if the règlement says so, but the Cour de cassation ruled on 17 September 2026 that the syndicat still pays whoever the leak damages, then claims it back from you. What that means for the owner above and the owner or tenant below.

CCA Interest in a French SCI: Rates, Deductibility, and Tax Treatment Explained

When you lend money to your SCI through a compte courant d'associé (CCA), one question comes up almost immediately: can you charge interest on...

Compte Courant d’Associé: When Your SCI Can Block or Delay Reimbursement

Your CCA is reimbursable on demand — in principle. But blocking clauses, statutory grace periods, and insolvency rules can restrict or delay your right to withdraw funds from your French SCI. Here is what every foreign investor needs to know about the limits on CCA reimbursement.

Compte Courant d’Associé in a French SCI: Your Right to Get Your Money Back at Any Time

You’ve lent money to your own SCI through a compte courant d’associé. Can you get it back whenever you want? French law says yes — and the Cour de cassation has been remarkably firm about it. Here’s what every foreign investor needs to know.

The Unofficial Bank: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Partner Current Accounts (CCA) in Your French SCI

You have formed your Société Civile Immobilière (SCI). You followed the common advice to keep the share capital low—perhaps €1,000—to minimize setup costs and keep the...

French SCI Accounting: Your Guide to Reporting, Profits, and Legal Obligations

You own the property. You have the keys. You have even navigated the initial setup. But now, a year has passed, and a quiet...

How to Change the Statuts of a French SCI (2026): Procedure, Votes and Costs

You have done it. The Société Civile Immobilière (SCI) is set up. The property is bought. The keys are in your pocket. You might think the...