Legal advice: property searches in France

Above: Matthew Cameron is a solicitor specialising in French law, particularly property law; he is also a partner of Prettys Solicitors

A little while ago, the then president of the Paris chambre de notaires told me that given the way things were changing in French property sales, they may as well adopt the English system of conveyancing. He was referring not to the whole contractual process but to the question of surveys and inspections. The number and procedures of these searches have changed substantially over recent years, affected also by environmental considerations.

Searches for the presence of termites or lead paint in some properties have long been a standard requirement, so have inspections for asbestos. Whether such pre-completion inspections are required on each property depends on issues such as age of property and location.

The full article can be found on page(s) 82-83 of this issue.

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