The firm’s journal

French law in practice

Practical guides to French property and business law for readers dealing with French notaries, landlords, companies or courts from abroad, and analysis of current legal news.

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Property

Fraud and Misrepresentation in French Property Sales: How to Recover Your Losses

French property buyers who fall victim to fraudulent misrepresentation (dol) now have a stronger remedy: the Cour de cassation's May 2026 ruling reinstated the right to recover the excess pr …

Property

Misleading Rental Profitability in French Property Sales: When Can a Foreign Buyer Get the Sale Annulled?

Every year, hundreds of foreign buyers purchase French property based on promises of steady rental income. A well-located apartment in Paris, a villa on the Riviera, or a ski chalet in the A …

Property

French Pre-Emption Rights (Droit de Préemption): Why Your Property Purchase Can Be Legally Binding — Yet Taken Away

A buyer and seller agree on a price. The compromis de vente (preliminary sale agreement) is signed. The deposit is paid. The buyer, perhaps an American or British purchaser new to the French …

Property

Short-Term Holiday Rentals in France: A Legal Guide for Foreign Property Owners Under the Loi Le Meur

Short-Term Holiday Rentals in France: A Legal Guide for Foreign Property Owners Under the Loi Le Meur Foreign nationals who purchase property in France often intend to offset costs by lettin …

Property

French Second-Home Restrictions 2026: Municipal Bans, Surtaxes and Short-Term Rental Caps — A Legal Guide for Foreign Buyers

French Second-Home Restrictions 2026: Municipal Bans, Surtaxes and Short-Term Rental Caps — A Legal Guide for Foreign Buyers French towns are increasingly wielding new planning powers to cur …

Property

Abuse of Property Rights (Abus de Droit de Propriete) in France: What Every Foreign Buyer Must Know

What every foreign buyer needs to know about abus de droit de propriete — the French legal doctrine that limits how you can use your own property, from boundary disputes to abnormal nuisance …

Planning and construction

French Renovation Subcontractor Trap: Why Foreign Owners Risk Paying Twice

When you buy a property in France and hire a builder to renovate it, you expect to pay once and receive a finished home. What most foreign owners do not realise is that French …

Property

Buying Off-Plan Property in France (VEFA): A Legal Guide for Foreign Buyers and Investors

Buying Off-Plan Property in France (VEFA): A Legal Guide for Foreign Buyers and Investors For many foreign buyers, the idea of purchasing a brand-new apartment in Paris, a villa on the Côte …

Co-ownership and neighbours

French Co-Ownership Under Scrutiny: How One Defective Syndic Appointment Can Unravel Years of Condominium Decisions

French Co-Ownership Under Scrutiny: How One Defective Syndic Appointment Can Unravel Years of Condominium Decisions For foreign owners of French property, the copropriété (co-ownership) regi …

Co-ownership and neighbours

French Property Manager (Syndic) Liability: What the 2024–2026 Cour de cassation Rulings Mean for Foreign Owners

Every owner of an apartment in a French building is, by law, a member of a syndicat des copropriétaires (co-ownership association). This legal entity owns and manages the common areas — the …

Property

When a French Property Purchase Falls Through: Withdrawal, Default, and Legal Consequences for Foreign Buyers

Every French property lawyer has received the same phone call at least once a month: a foreign buyer, sometimes still based in London or New York, who has just walked away from a compromis …

Property

France Retreats on Forced Heirship: English-Law Wills Now Exempt for French Property Owners

France Retreats on Forced Heirship: English-Law Wills Now Exempt for French Property Owners In June 2026, the French Ministry of Justice delivered a long-awaited clarification that brings si …

Maître Reda Kohen

Maître Reda Kohen

Partner, member of the Paris Bar, 11 rue Margueritte, 75017 Paris. Author of the analyses published in this journal. About