The firm’s journal

Guides and news: Planning and construction

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

Latest in Planning and construction

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Planning and construction

Pre-emption Rights Blocking Your French Property Purchase: DPU, Tenant and SAFER Rules Every Foreign Buyer Must Check

A town hall, a sitting tenant or the SAFER rural agency can legally buy the French property you negotiated instead of you. DPU two-month review, tenant first refusal, SAFER price revision an …

Planning and construction
Planning and construction

French Pre-emption Rights (DPU, SAFER, Tenant): How Foreign Buyers Can Lose or Save Their Purchase

Town hall, SAFER rural agency or sitting tenant: three French pre-emption rights can override a foreign buyer's purchase. Procedures, deadlines, three Cour de cassation rulings and the claus …

Planning and construction

British Homeowner in France After Brexit: Your French Builder Is Late, Demanding More Money or Did a Botched Job — Devis, Reception and Decennale Guarantees, and How to Force Repair or a Refund

British homeowner in France: late builder, extra bills, defective works. Devis, reception with reserves, decennale cover, mise en demeure and how to force repair or a refund.

Planning and construction

Someone Else Can Buy the French Property You Just Agreed to Buy: Pre-emption Rights Every Foreign Buyer Must Clear

City, SAFER and sitting tenant: the three French pre-emption rights that can take a foreign buyer's purchase away, with deadlines, purge checks and nine Cour de cassation rulings.

Planning and construction

British Resident in France After One Year After Brexit: How to Get the Four-Year Multi-Year Card and Challenge a Refusal

After one year in France on a temporary card, many British residents can claim a four-year multi-year card. Who qualifies, why visitor cards are shut out, and how to challenge a refusal afte …

Planning and construction

French Pre-emption Rights: When the City, the SAFER or the Tenant Can Take Your Purchase Away

A foreign buyer's guide to French pre-emption rights: urban DIA procedure, challenging a commune's decision on price and motive, SAFER rural review, and the sitting tenant's priority offer …

Planning and construction
Planning and construction

French Dommage-Ouvrage Insurance: The Compulsory Construction Cover Every Foreign Buyer Should Understand

French Dommage-Ouvrage Insurance: The Compulsory Construction Cover Every Foreign Buyer Should Understand Foreign buyers in France usually focus on the price, the compromis de vente (prelimi …

Planning and construction

French Property Neighbour Disputes: Construction, Views, Walls and Remedies for Foreign Owners

French Property Neighbour Disputes: Construction, Views, Walls and Remedies for Foreign Owners A building project next door can change the practical and financial value of a French home. A w …

Planning and construction

French Ten-Year Builder Warranty (Garantie Decennale): A Foreign Buyer’s Guide

French Ten-Year Builder Warranty (Garantie Décennale): A Foreign Buyer's Guide Buying a house in Provence, a flat in Paris or a barn to convert in the Dordogne exposes a foreign purchaser to …

Planning and construction

MaPrimeRénov’ in September 2026: What Foreign Property Owners Must Check Before Renovating in France

MaPrimeRénov’ in September 2026: What Foreign Property Owners Must Check Before Renovating in France From 1 September 2026, the French MaPrimeRénov’ rules for major renovation projects becom …

Planning and construction

CFE Exemption in a France Rural Revitalisation Zone: A Foreign Founder’s 2026 Checklist

How a foreign founder can test ZFRR eligibility, document a French establishment, file form 1447-C-SD and challenge a wrong CFE assessment.

Planning and construction

French Construction Contracts and Renovation Disputes: Legal Protections for Foreign Property Buyers

Renovating a property in France is a dream for many foreign buyers. The stone farmhouse in the Dordogne, the Haussmann apartment in Paris, the Provençal mas — each carries the promise of a l …

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