Unlike in other countries where having lawyers involved in property buying is merely advisable, it cannot be done in France without a notaire. This is because they are the only ones who can register the transfer of ownership with the French land registry. Unsurprisingly, this service isn't free and in the past the notaires fees have often been something of a mystery to newcomers. Screengrab: ANILFor example, for an old property in the Charente worth €100,000, you can expect to pay €1,385 while for an old property in Paris valued at €600,000 you will pay around €1,438 in notaire fees (see below). "Newcomers often fall into the trap of thinking that the entire sum they pay a notaire goes into their pockets but their job is to deliver the fees," Christophe Dutertre, a qualified notaire from the company France Tax Law, previously told The Local.

Source: The Local July 18, 2019 10:40 UTC