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French Property Solicitors in the UK

The residential conveyancing process for existing property, "off plan" purchases and leasebacks

The aim of our French Property Solicitors is to offer a proactive and efficient conveyancing service that ensures your transaction occurs as smoothly and as quickly as possible. We can guide you through every detail of the transaction, providing advice on:

  • Preliminary contracts
  • Location plans
  • Town planning provisions
  • Power of Attorney
  • Property taxes: purchase, local, etc.
  • Draft deed of sale
  • Deeds of sale ("expédition ")
  • Commercial leases (for leaseback properties)
  • Proof of ownership

Contracts and other legal documentation

Translation of contracts is usually expensive and frequently inadequate, this can lead to costly legal complications. Our legal expertise provides us with the foundation to read the original French contractual documents, provide reports explaining their implications and provide independent advice on your options going forward.

Commercial property / company formation

In Manchester and with our Pannone Law Group colleagues in Paris, Lyon and Albertville we can assist clients to form and acquire French companies and commercial properties, carry out company searches and offer specialist advice on French contracts, commercial and property law.

Inheritance considerations

Before you sign any contract, your place of domicile / residence and the inheritance law of France should be taken into consideration. All real property in France is always subject to French laws of succession and French inheritance tax (IHT) with a rate as high as 60%. We can advise on and draft contracts that offer you the best protection for your circumstances, covering areas such as:

  • Tontine or Indivision (joint tenancy or tenancy in common)
  • Matrimonial contracts
  • Société Civile Immobilière (SCI)
  • PACS ( pacte civil de solidarité )
  • Wills and codicils
  • Estates upon death
  • IHT

Wills and Probate

Property owners should deal with their French real property in an English Codicil to their Will or a French Will. We can advise on which may be the most suitable, depending on the testator's country of residence. French law and the French compulsory heirs' rules (réserve) will always apply to your real property situate there but the position can often be improved if appropriate action is taken. Even in straightforward situations, a suitably drafted Codicil helps clarify the position and avoid any misunderstandings regarding the law which applies to the estate in due course.

Should the deceased die intestate, it is possible that a spouse may receive only one quarter (1/4) of the deceased spouse's estate.

We can advise you on the best option for your circumstances, drafting Wills and or Codicils.

We also deal with the formalities required to resolve estates in France , providing the notaire with the necessary documentation from the UK to allow him to draw up the equivalent of probate papers, calculate inheritance tax liabilities, etc., in order to settle the estate in France within a fixed period of time and thus avoid penalty payments and interest.

Tax Planning

In addition to inheritance tax planning, if requested, we can help maximise general tax planning opportunities with the assistance of other suitably qualified professionals, including the potential of situations of non-residence or non-domicility, in cases where you move abroad after retirement. In all circumstances, our aim is to minimise your tax liability whilst structuring a framework that offers the maximum flexibility to adapt to your future circumstances. Our expert tax advice and solutions apply across a range of situations, including:

  • Purchase taxes ("TVA" - French VAT or stamp duties)
  • Local / Annual taxes
  • Income Tax
  • Wealth tax
  • Capital gains tax calculations
  • Appointment of fiscal representative
  • Payment of monies in the UK or France

Matrimonial and family issues relating to French property

We can assist and help minimise difficulties relating to overseas property following the break up of a marriage or relationship; dealing with the sale or transfer from one ex partner to the other.

Litigation

With the assistance of our specialist teams we can help clients with legal disputes, debt recovery, etc, in the local French jurisdiction.

Power of attorney

This is a deed which enables a third party to deal with your affairs, pay taxes, execute deeds on your behalf, etc., if you are unable to do so in person. We can prepare bilingual documents for you in the UK which can then be executed in the presence of a notary public, notarised and legalised. This is a service which we offer in-house with our own public notary. Alternatively, we can provide you with the details of a notary closer to your own vicinity. We also deal with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on your behalf in order to obtain the apostille (legalisation certificate), facilitating and progressing the process as quickly as possible.

Accidents abroad

Our solicitors can also help you with a compensation claim if you are injured in an accident abroad. Our specialist team deals exclusively with accidents that happen overseas and has an enviable reputation for personal injury claims which arise from holidays, business trips and international travel by road, air and sea. For assistance please contact Andrew Morton.

Bilingual legal documents

We draft directly in-house a variety of bilingual English / French legal documents, certificates of law, certificats de coutume, etc., for many and varied purposes, both personal and commercial.

General advice

Our solicitors can also provide general and practical advice or assistance on a variety of issues such as:

  • Setting up a company for purchase of either property or business
  • Finance, loans and mortgages
  • Life and property insurance
  • Currency exchange and money transfers
  • Accidents / personal injury
  • Rules of co-ownership
  • Group purchases
  • Leasebacks
  • Third party contacts i.e. surveyors, architects, banks, Notaires / Avocats, tax advisers, recovery of funds
  • Surveys
  • Translation services
  • Annual running costs
  • Rental
  • Utilities
  • Litigation Wills or Codicils - English and Spanish

Call 0870 164 2372 now for a consultation with a French Property Solicitor at Pannone LLP.