Commonly used phrases and their meanings
Finding your way around French legal terminology isn’t always easy. Here are some of the most commonly used phrases and their meanings:
achat – purchase
acte authentique – deed of sale
acte de vente (also acte d’achat) – transfer or conveyance of land
attestation d’acquisition – certificate from notaire that a property purchase has been completed
avocat – lawyer/solicitor
bail – lease or tenancy agreement
bon pour achat – good for acquisition – phrase often used in contracts
cadastre – land register or registry
Certificat d’urbanisme – outlines the rights and planning laws that affect a piece of land/property
clause suspensive – a conditional clause in a contract that needs to be fulfilled for the sale to reach completion
clause tontine – a clause that means the property will pass automatically to the survivor on the first death
compromis de vente – contract for sale and purchase of property
conditions suspensives – conditional terms in the pre-sale agreement
constructible – land designated for building under planning rules
copropriété – co-ownership
dépôt de garantie – deposit
dévis – written quotation
droits de succession – death duties/inheritance tax
émoluments – fees, as in a notaire’s fees
états des lieux – document detailing the state of repair or condition in general of property; in an off plan purchase, for example, there is an états des lieux on the handing over the keys.
expertiser – to assess or value a property
frais de notaire – total fees, including land registration duty, paid to the notaire on top of the sale price
géomètre or géomètre expert – a surveyor appointed by the notaire to ascertain the dimensions of the property
hypothèque – mortgage/charge on a property
lu et approuvé – read and approved – words that often appear on a contract
notaire – legal official charged by state with handling property transactions
permis de construire – planning permission
plan cadastral – land registry plan, showing boundaries of plots of land and property
prendre l’immeuble vendu dans son état au jour de la prise de possession – where the buyer takes the property ‘in its present condition’
TTC – toutes taxes comprises – all taxes included, referrring not just to sales tax but any tax
TVA – taxe sur la valeur ajoutée – value added tax or VAT
Taxe d’habitation – tax on the occupation of a property/council tax
Taxe fonciére – local property tax
testament – will
vente en l’état futur d’achèvement or VEFA – off-plan sale.
Image by Succo via Pixabay
