The firm’s journal

Guides and news: Planning and construction

Planning and construction: practical guides and legal news from the firm, newest first.

Written by Maître Reda Kohen, member of the Paris Bar. About Maître Reda Kohen

Latest in Planning and construction

Newest first

Planning and construction

Buying a French Farm Through Shares, Gifts or Split Ownership? The SAFER Still Wants to Know — A Foreign Buyer’s Guide (2026)

Share deals, gifts and split ownership do not escape the SAFER: the information duty, its sanctions, and two 2025-2026 rulings every foreign buyer should know.

Planning and construction

Your First French Multi-Year Permit After Brexit: the A2 French Test, the Civic Exam, and How to Challenge a Refusal

Since 1 January 2026, Britons seeking a first carte de sejour pluriannuelle must prove A2 French and pass the civic exam, with B1 for the carte de resident. This guide explains the five stat …

Planning and construction

Someone Else Can Buy the Flat You Just Agreed to Buy: French Pre-emption Rights and How Foreign Buyers Purge Them

A signed offer in France is never final until three possible pre-emptors, the town hall, the SAFER and a sitting tenant, have been purged. Deadlines, price fights and recent case law.

Planning and construction

British Builder, Plumber or Electrician in France After Brexit: Getting Your Trade Recognised, Registering as an Artisan and Keeping Your Entrepreneur Card

British tradesman in France after Brexit? Trade recognition, artisan registration, entrepreneur card, tax — and how to challenge a refusal.

Planning and construction

Cracks, Leaks and Serious Defects After Buying Property in France: How Foreign Owners Claim Under the Ten-Year Builder Warranty

Cracks or water ingress after buying in France? How foreign owners prove decennial defects, notify insurers and sue before the ten-year time bar.

Planning and construction

Neighbour Renovation Damage in France: How Foreign Owners Stop the Works, Prove the Harm and Claim Compensation

Your French neighbour's building works are cracking your walls or blocking your light. French strict liability, the evidence file that wins, and the Paris procedure to stop the works and cla …

Planning and construction

British Owner, French Builder Walked Away or Left Defects After Brexit: Guarantees, Insurance and How to Challenge

Your French builder walked away or left defects? Which ten-year, two-year or one-year guarantee applies, how to trigger insurance, and how to challenge a refusal.

Planning and construction

Your French Residence Permit Renewal After Brexit: the A2 and B1 French Tests, the Civic Exam, and How a British Resident Challenges a Refusal or a Removal Order

Since 1 January 2026, Britons renewing onto a first multi-year card need A2 French and the civic exam, and B1 plus the exam for a first 10-year resident card. This guide covers the tests, th …

Planning and construction

British Student in France After Brexit: Visa, Work, Healthcare and Housing Aid, Plus How to Challenge a Refusal or OQTF

British student heading to France after Brexit: the long-stay visa, the student card and its 877.50 euros resources test, 964 work hours, healthcare, the July 2026 housing-aid restriction, a …

Planning and construction

Someone Else Bought the French Property You Were Buying: SAFER, City and Tenant-Farmer Preemption — A Foreign Buyer’s Guide

Your signed French purchase can be preempted by the town hall, the SAFER or the sitting farmer. This guide explains each procedure, three recent published rulings, and the clauses that prote …

Planning and construction
Planning and construction

France’s Certificat d’Urbanisme: The Planning Certificate Every Foreign Buyer Should Read Before Signing

Before signing a compromis for a French house or plot, foreign buyers should obtain the certificat d'urbanisme. This guide explains the two certificates, the eighteen-month freeze on plannin …

Planning and construction

Your Foreign Company Already Works in France: Branch Registration, Parent Liability, Tax and Payroll — and When a Subsidiary Is Safer

Branch or subsidiary in France? Registration, parent liability, corporate tax, VAT and hiring for a foreign company operating from abroad — and when a French SAS or SARL is safer.

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