Tax & Regulation

Démembrement: Giving Your Children a French Home While You Keep the Use

Giving your children the bare ownership of a French home while you keep the usufruct cuts French gift tax and leaves nothing more to pay on your death. Here's who pays for repairs, why the wealth tax still bites, and how HMRC may see the same deed.

UK Moves to End Double Tax on French SCIs: What Changes for UK Owners, and When

If you live in the UK and own a let French property through an SCI, the same rent can be taxed twice. The UK now plans a credit for the French tax, with claims from early 2028: what it could save, and what is still open.

France Writes Your Rent Schedule for You: Below-Market Rent and the Maths of Keeping a Good Tenant

In France you can’t lift a sitting tenant’s rent to market whenever you like: the law sets the timetable, and in tight-market zones even a new tenant’s rent is capped. We run the numbers on when keeping a good tenant beats chasing the market.

Selling a French Property From the UK or Abroad: the Steps in Order

Every step of selling a French property while you live abroad, in order: the reports, the agent, the preliminary contract, signing remotely, the French tax the notaire takes, and the UK side.

French Home Prices Fell 0.8% in a Year to June 2026: What It Means If You Own From Abroad

French home prices fell 0.8% in the year to mid-2026, with houses down 1.3% and flats almost unchanged. We break down the notaires’ figures by city, explain why the 4% mortgage line matters, and what it all means if you sell or buy from abroad.

Représentant Fiscal Accrédité: When Non-EU Sellers of French Property Need One (2026)

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.

Taxe Foncière for Foreign Owners: How French Annual Property Tax Actually Works in 2026

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.

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.

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.

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.