That you are salesmen or purchasers, will know that we are always at your disposal to give you satisfaction.

To develop the marketing of your real goods, the team Riviera World real and inheritance personalize each mission that you entrust to them.

The taking into account of your objectives of marketing, of the characteristics of the good and the data of the market, makes it possible to program an action plan adapted:

- Definition of the target -
Identification of the arguments -
Choice of the supports of communication -
Planning of the actions -
Realization, followed and analyzes results

The Services Riviera World immobilier et patrimoine

- Sale of goods real estate
- Hiring and Management
- Transactions real on an international scale
- Assistance in the search of goods real estate
- real Diffusion of advertisements on Internet
- Assistance with the defiscalisation 

How to finance and purchase your property on the Riviera with us

Financing your property:
Even before you start looking for your dream home in the riviera, you should consider the question of Financing your property, as the property you can afford will depend on how much you would be able to borrow, from the bank with what type of mortgage (Fixed or Variable rate, over how many years ?), and considering your existing commitments. In the French Riviera, our dedicated Financial team ("Riviera World Finance") will guide you to the best and most suitable mortgage offers available, on the financial  market but we also have established excellent contacts with leading English speaking lenders on the French Riviera, and your Personnal Property Adviser will be delighted to put you in touch with them.

Should you wish to receive more specific informations on the Financial aspect of your purchase, please click on the button "Financial Info Required", and one of our Financial correspondant will contact you.

Purchasing in France, the essential checklist:
Title to land in France is registered and registration of a sale is by publication of the "Acte de Vente" (Formal conveyance) which must be prepared by a Notaire. The Notaire acts as a public officer, is responsible for searches and enquiries before completion and is accountable to the authorities for "Droits d'enregistrement" (Stamp duty) payable on the purchase, as well as for the vendor's capital gain liability. Provided the purchase price passes through teh Notaire's account, the purchaser is guaranteed clean title.

Almost invariably, this "Acte de vente" will be preceded by a preliminary contract of some kind, which may or may not be prepared by the Notaire (on a larger transaction it nearly always will be) or will be an Estate Agent's form. This "Compromis de vente" commits the parties to the transaction, giving the particulars of the parties, the property, the price, the deposit (usually 10%), containing the terms of the sale, as seen and approved, vacant possession at completion, and an anticipated completion date. It will also contain "Conditions suspensives" (Conditions precedent), including land registry search, local authority planning search, the raising of mortgage finance where relevant, and such other conditions as may have been negotiated. French law imposes 7 days cooling off period following the signature of such a contract, during which time the purchaser may withdraw.

Stamp duty on all properties except newly built (where VAT at 19,6% is included in the purchase price) is 4.89% meaning that when the Nataire's fees are added, the buyer should anticipate transaction costs in the regin of 6.50% in all. This procedure is straightforward in it's essentials, but as always, the devil is in the detail, and professional advice should be sought.

In deciding how title should be held, the factors to be considered will include the effect of French inheritance law, the incidence of French taxes, especially French inheritance tax, French wealth tax and French Capital gain taxes on disposal, Wills, and the nature of the investment. Competent legal and tax advice should be sought on these issues before completing the purchase, using the time between exchange and completion to do so. It is difficult, if not impossible, to put matters right later and mistakes can be expensive.
French inheritance law applies to French property, even when owned by a non-resident of France. This include the legal reserve rules (one half for one child, two thirds for two children, Three quarters for three children or more). Various methods exist for mitigating the effects of these rules, but the appropriate arrangements must in most cases be in place before completion.

French inheritance tax is payable by each beneficiary separately at rates and with thresholds which vary depending on the relationship between the deceased and the beneficiary. Broadly speaking, children and the surviving spouse pay inheritance tax at 20% (after some small reliefs) on any share up to £ 340,000 (Approximately 520,000 Euros) and at higher rates thereafter. Other relatives and non relatives face higher liabilities (60% flat rate for non relatives).

Wealth tax comes into play if a property is worth more than £ 470,000 (Approximately 715,000 Euros) but becomes significant once the £1 million mark is reached (Approximately 1,525,000 Euros). This is an annual tax and once again, planning opportunities exist to mitigate or eliminate this tax.

Capital gain taxis one third of the net gain, calculated after generous inflation relief. However this is only true of the individual who owns the property direct or through a French special purpose entity called the "Société civile Immobilière". Any other legal entity, whether French or foreign, faces a potentially crippling French capital gain tax liability on resale under article 244bis A of the French general tax, which requires the value of the property to be written down annually by 2% and treats the difference between the resale price and the written down value as the gain.

Furthermore, non French legal entities holding French property directly or indirectly face the 3% annual tax on the value of their French property, designed to deter the practice of holding French real estate through tax haven companies, once popular but now inadvisable.

The KEY is planning. Take advice in France and at home. Explain what you want toachieve and let the professionals help you achieve it. That way lies peace of mind.


The role of the Notary
In France, the business of buying and selling of property has to be handled by a Notary, fees are fixed by law, and you are free to appoint whomsoever you wish. Commonly, the same Notary acts for both seller and buyer, but each party may also employ a different Notary, at no extra cost, since fees are always paid by the buyer. (The fees being fixed by law, they will be shared between the respective Notaries).

It is important to understand that a Notary is not a Solicitor as known in the Untied Kingdom. Although he handles the conveyancing, he is a public official and his main responsability is to ensure that all deeds are authentic and of incontestable value. Furthermore, the Notary being personnaly responsible for the contracts drawn up, his advice will always be objective and impartial towards the various contractual parties, so do not necessarily expect advices from him, as this would be the role of your sollicitor. Of course you can instruct your own sollicitor, and he will then be dealing himself with the notary. Whatever you chose to do, always ensure that the notary and, if there is one, the solicitor, are both fluent in French and English.

For more informations, please contact-us