Buying renovation property in France

More practicalities of a renovation project

There are quite a few practical considerations when you have found the property of your dreams. Taking account of these before you purchase the property may save time and money in the long run.

Consider carefully whether the final property will meet your needs. Will their be room for your children to come and stay? Room for a separate office? Can you play the piano in the middle of the night without annoying the neighbours? Will you feel lonely and isolated? The exact questions will depend on your circumstances, but it is easy to get over-enthused by certain aspects of a property while ignoring the practicalities.

Will the neighbours be happy with your plans. If you want to construct a 400 square metre villa and there is a small cottage next door they just might object, and you probably don't want to proceed with a project if it means annoying all the existing inhabitants.

If there is any doubt about where the boundary lies between the two properties, or if it is possible that the neighbour or others have a right of way across your property, discuss it firstly with the local mairie.

On the other hand, if you have permission to construct a fine house, will the attractive field of sunflowers opposite shortly also be covered in an estate of new-build properties? Local building rules change frequently, but you can discuss the communes plans for building development at the local mairie. Ask to see the 'Plan Local d'Urbanism'.

Electricity, water and telephone connections will all be required. If these are not already available, make sure you know how much they will cost to install. Remember that even if electricity is in place, if the building has been uninhabited for a long time a new supply may need to be installed.

Many parts of rural France do not yet have mains drainage. You can read about septic tanks elsewhere on this site - be aware that in certain soil conditions these can be very expensive to install in compliance with regulations. If you will need access to a neighbours field for your drainage, verify that it is not a problem.

High speed internet connections are now fairly widespread in France but many rrual places do not yet have it. If you have need of such a connection, verify in advance. It will be many years before everywhere has access.

It is impossible to list all eventualities here, although many should be covered in this site. Try and ensure you have spent an hour or two listing your requirements carefully, and make sure your proposed property meets those requirements.