Pre-offer checks
What to check before buying property in France
Before you offer on a French property, turn the house into a list of answerable checks. The aim is not to find a perfect house. It is to know what you are buying, what still needs checking and what would change the price.
1. Check the visible building risks
- Roof shape, missing tiles, sagging lines, chimney condition and signs of leaks in the loft.
- Damp smells, salt marks, peeling paint, swollen wood, blocked ventilation and high ground levels outside.
- Cracks around openings, bulging walls, patched render and floors that slope more than you expected.
- Old electrics, limited sockets, dated fuse board, exposed wiring and electric heating loads.
2. Check the French paperwork
- Ask for the dossier de diagnostic technique and read the DPE, electricity, gas, asbestos, lead, termite and risk information that applies to the property.
- If the house is not on mains drainage, ask for the latest sanitation report and what work would be required if it is non-compliant.
- Ask whether recent building work had permission, declarations or guarantees where needed.
- Ask the notaire or agent what still needs to be supplied before the compromis de vente.
3. Check the location as a place to live
- Drive to shops, doctors, pharmacy, hospital, train station and airport from the house, not from the nearest town name.
- Check mobile signal, broadband options, road noise, farming smells, dogs, church bells and summer traffic.
- Think about winter: steep lanes, long drives, heating, shutters, damp rooms and dark afternoons.
- Look for boundaries, shared tracks, right of way clues and how neighbours reach their land.
4. Check the money after the viewing
- Separate purchase costs from renovation costs, running costs and travel costs.
- Get quotes for the risks that would change your offer: roof, drainage, heating, electrics, damp or access.
- Ask what annual taxe fonciere, energy, water, insurance and maintenance have been for the current owner.
- Keep a walk-away number before the negotiation begins.
Related buyer guides
- French house buying checklist
- Buying a renovation property in France checklist
- Village and location checks before buying
- Notaire questions before buying French property
Official references to keep handy
- Service-Public.fr: diagnostics for a property sale
- Service-Public.fr: sanitation diagnostic
- Georisques: official risk information
This page helps organise questions. It is not a substitute for a surveyor, diagnostician, notaire, tax adviser or financial adviser.