Many French buyers simply ask a builder friend to come along with them when visiting a property, or ask a local builder for a quote before buying (perhaps the cheapest and easiest way), but as a foreigner you’re recommended to commission at least a valuation and preferably a full survey, especially if you’re contemplating buying an old building.
There’s a widely held belief that the French don’t have professional valuers and surveyors. In fact, there are various types of professional in France, each qualified and experienced in different areas, as described below.
If you decide that you will need a survey before buying a property, it’s worthwhile making enquiries at an early stage to ascertain who’s best qualified to help you, what type of survey reports they offer and how much they charge. You can expect that a competent surveyor won’t be immediately available.
Not having a property assessed by an expert when there is any suspicion of structural problems could jeopardise any future insurance claims.
Estate Agents
An estate agent (agent immobilier) can carry out a ‘survey’, but this is usually little more than a valuation and can cost as much as €300. Rather than ask the agent handling the sale to do a valuation, it may be preferable to pay another agent to do so in order to obtain a less biased opinion.
Notaires
Notaires will often be able to provide assistance and sometimes will have on their staff someone qualified to give valuations. However, notaires tend to provide valuations for legal rather than for information purposes.
Experts Immobilier
Not to be confused with an agent immobilier (see Estate Agents above), an expert immobilier generally works for banks, loss adjustors and members of the legal profession, including notaires, and is called upon to produce valuation and survey reports for submission to the courts (e.g. in the case of a divorce settlement or inheritance dispute or an investigation by the tax authorities). Each agent immobilier tends to specialise in a particular area of the property market, such as private housing, commercial property, farmland or forestry. He (most experts are male) is bound by the Civil Code to use ‘prudence and due attention’ and will have professional indemnity insurance.
In the case of a private property purchase, an expert immobilier will provide une expertise amiable et privée, costing around €200, which is a ‘rough’ appraisal containing essential information about a property and drawing conclusions appropriate to the buyer’s needs, notably regarding the property’s condition and value, or, for at least €500, un bilan de santé immobilier (literally ‘a property health report’).
You can find an expert immobilier through local estate agents, architects or the yellow pages (where they’re listed under Experts en Estimation Immobilière, Industrielle et Fonds de Commerce), or contact the Chambres des Experts Immobiliers, c/o FNAIM, 129 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris (http://www.fnaim.fr ), stating the department in which you’re thinking of buying.
Géomètre-experts
If you want to verify the boundaries of a property or check the area of an apartment, you should employ a géomètre-expert, who will charge from around €150 to €1,500 depending on the size and complexity of the job. Géomètres-experts are listed under that heading in the yellow pages.
Experts en Techniques du Bâtiment
An expert en techniques du bâtiment (listed under that heading in the yellow pages) normally carries out inspections for termites, asbestos, lead and other possible problems, such as damp.
Foreign Surveyors
You may prefer to employ a British or other Anglophone surveyor practising in France, who will write a report in English and in a style to which you’re accustomed. However, a French surveyor (or other local expert) usually has a more intimate knowledge of local properties and building methods. If you employ a foreign surveyor, you must ensure that he’s experienced in the idiosyncrasies of French properties and that he has professional indemnity insurance covering France (which means you can happily sue him if he does a bad job!).
English-speaking surveyors advertise in the expatriate press and Francophile magazines and can be found via the internet, e.g. http://www.surveyorsinfrance.com , which lists members of the British Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors practising in France, and http://www.surveyors-en-france.com , an ‘alliance’ of British- and French-registered surveyors.
Architects
An architect (architecte) is usually best qualified to check a modern house (unless he designed it himself!). Look under Architectes in the yellow pages or contact the Conseil National de l’Ordre des Architectes, 9 rue Borromée, 75015 Paris (01 56 58 67 00, http://www.architectes.org ), which keeps a register of architects.
Master Builders
A master builder (maître d’oeuvres) can be employed to check an older (i.e. pre-1945) property for soundness and will also be able to tell you whether the price is too high, given any work that needs to be done, for which he can be asked to quote. If you have work done by him, you may pay nothing for the inspection, although you should obtain at least one other quote for comparison. Master builders are listed under Maîtres d’oeuvre en bâtiment in the yellow pages.
Maisons Paysannes de France
For a ‘free’ survey of an old property (visite conseil) you can join Maisons Paysannes de France, 8 passage des Deux Soeurs, 75009 Paris (01 44 83 63 63, http://www.maisons-paysannes.org ), who will send an expert in traditional restoration to assess whether previous restoration work has been done well or badly, what work remains to be done and how to do it. They will also put you in touch with a local architect with the appropriate expertise if required. Membership costs around €45 for an individual and €50 for a couple.
This article is an extract from Buying a home in France. Click here to get a copy now.