Buyer’s Guide
How to buy a co-ownership share in France
The SCI, the notaire fees you avoid, how IFI works for residents and non-residents, what it costs across the 22 French homes we list, and the steps in order.
The short version: you buy a share in a French SCI — the standard French property-holding company — which already owns the house. Because the SCI already owns it, your purchase is not a property transfer, so you avoid the notaire's droits de mutation, which run to 7.5–8% on a whole existing property. French wealth tax bites above €1.3 million of French real estate, and a single share almost never reaches it. We list 22 homes in France from four operators, from €119,000.
France splits cleanly in two: the Côte d'Azur and the Alps, where MYNE and &Hamlet sell whole villas and chalets from €119,000; and Paris, where Pacaso and Paris Property Group sell apartments on a different model entirely.
What you would actually own
A French co-ownership home is held by a Société Civile Immobilière — an SCI. It is the ordinary French vehicle for holding property collectively, thoroughly understood by French notaries, and it long predates co-ownership as a product. The SCI owns the house; you own a share of the SCI.
Paris Property Group is the exception and it is worth understanding why. Its Saint-Germain apartment is held not in a French SCI but in a US association, registered in California, and its shares are 1/12 or 1/13 rather than the eighths everyone else sells. That is a genuinely different structure with a different tax path, and it suits American buyers in particular. The vehicle used in each country is set out here.
What you need before you start
Identity and source of funds, for KYC. France has no NIE equivalent for this purpose, which is why a French purchase generally moves faster than a Spanish one for a first-time cross-border buyer.
A view on IFI before you sign, not after. French wealth tax is the one thing about buying in France that genuinely surprises people, and the answer differs completely depending on whether you are French-resident. See below.
Your own lawyer for the share-purchase agreement. The SCI's statutes govern how shares transfer, who has the first option to buy, and what happens on death. They are readable, and they are worth reading.
The steps, in order
| Step | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Choose the home | Compare across operators, check the running cost and how many shares are left, and visit if you can | As long as you like |
| 2. Reservation agreement | A deposit, typically €5,000 to €20,000, takes the share off the market | Day 1 |
| 3. Cooling-off period | Your window for legal and tax review — use it | 7 to 14 days |
| 4. KYC and documentation | Identity, address, source of funds | 1 to 3 weeks |
| 5. Share-purchase agreement | Signed after your own lawyer has read the SCI statutes | 1 to 2 weeks |
| 6. Payment and registration | International wire; the SCI's share register is updated to show you | Days |
| 7. Onboarding | Booking platform access, key handover, first stay scheduled | Immediately after |
Four to eight weeks from reservation to completion is normal for a cash buyer; financing adds four to eight weeks of underwriting. The seven steps are set out in detail here.
What it costs
| Operator | Homes | Share price | Monthly running cost | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MYNE Homes | 14 | €119,000 – €559,000 median €179,000 |
€298 – €472 median €344, verified on all 14 |
Côte d'Azur, Portes du Soleil |
| Pacaso | 4 | $600,000 – $879,000 median $728,500 |
Not published to us | Paris |
| &Hamlet | 3 | €150,000 – €565,000 median €285,000 |
€369 – €560 median €460, verified on all 3 |
Côte d'Azur |
| Paris Property Group | 1 | €299,000 a 1/13 share, four weeks a year |
Not published to us | Saint-Germain-des-Prés |
The entry price in France is €119,000, and every home under €200,000 is MYNE's. The Paris apartments are a different market at a different price, and should be compared against each other rather than against a villa on the coast.
Closing costs. On a whole existing French property the notaire's fees and transfer duties run to roughly 7.5–8%. Buying a share of an SCI that already owns the house does not trigger them, because no property changes hands. That saving is structural, not a discount. Paris Property Group quotes closing costs of around 1–2% of the share price on its own US-side structure. Why the share purchase is not a property transfer is explained here.
Tax, honestly
This section describes the structure. It is not personal tax advice, and your position depends on your residency, your other property and the treaty between your country and France. Take specialist advice before you sign.
When you buy: no droits de mutation on the share, for the reason above.
While you own it: the SCI pays taxe foncière and corporate-level tax on any rental income directly. You fund your share of it through the annual fee. There is no separate French filing you make on the property itself.
IFI — and this is the one that matters. The Impôt sur la Fortune Immobilière is the French wealth tax on real estate, and it applies above €1.3 million. For a non-resident, only French real estate counts, and a one-eighth share of even a €5 million Côte d'Azur villa values at roughly €625,000 — comfortably below the threshold. The same buyer owning that villa outright would be well over it and facing an annual charge in the tens of thousands. The structure delivers that advantage automatically. The IFI position for share owners is here.
If you are French-resident, invert that. A French resident is assessed on worldwide real estate above the same €1.3 million, primary residence included. If your own home already sits near the threshold, adding a share can be what pushes you over — so a small purchase can have a disproportionate effect. The aggregation rule is what to model, and it matters far more for residents than for non-residents. The French-resident position is set out here, and the UK buyer's picture here.
When you sell: capital gains tax on any gain, in France and potentially at home, with treaty relief depending on residency. You are disposing of a company interest rather than real estate directly, which is often the simpler path. More here.
When you die: the share passes through the SCI's share register. French succession rules are more prescriptive than most, and the SCI statutes interact with them — this is the single best reason to have your own lawyer read the statutes before signing. What happens to the share is covered here.
How long you may actually stay
A share confers no residency rights. Non-EU passport holders — British, American, Canadian, Australian — are subject to the Schengen 90 days in any rolling 180-day period, exactly as any visitor is. At around 45 nights a year that is not a constraint. The rule for owners is here.
Letting, which mostly you cannot
France is the most restrictive market we cover on this point. &Hamlet prohibits letting outright. Pacaso does not allow owner rentals. Paris Property Group's agreements prohibit renting weeks, and Paris short-term-let law would make it difficult in any case — the city requires specific permits and an illegal let puts every co-owner at risk. MYNE permits letting on many properties, subject to the local rules, which in a French commune can be as tight as anywhere.
If letting income is part of your reasoning, France is the country where it is least likely to work, and you should say so early rather than discover it at step five.
Financing
MYNE says a French share can be mortgaged much as a traditional purchase can, and offers its own deferred-payment plan, which carries interest. &Hamlet works with Nordea and allows only individual shares to be pledged, never the whole property. Pacaso arranges financing between the bank and the property LLC rather than in the buyer's own name. Paris Property Group offers no share financing at all — treat that one as a cash purchase, which it is.
Which part of France, and from whom
The Côte d'Azur is where the depth is: MYNE and &Hamlet between them list 17 homes there, from €119,000 to €565,000. &Hamlet's three are all large — four, six and seven bedrooms — and MYNE's run smaller and cheaper.
The Alps means Portes du Soleil, where MYNE's Morzine homes are currently the only stock we list. The Alpine gap is the biggest in the European market and we watch it closely; tell us what you are looking for and we will let you know when something appears.
Paris is its own decision. Pacaso's four apartments sell eighths with no cap on nights. Paris Property Group's single Saint-Germain apartment sells a 1/13 share carrying four weeks — two fixed and two floating — with title in a US association and no financing. They are not really competitors; they suit different buyers.
Every French home we list is here, and if you want the operators compared head to head, that is here.
Common questions
Do I pay notaire fees on a French fractional share?
Not the transfer duties. On a whole existing French property the notaire's fees and droits de mutation run to roughly 7.5 to 8%. Those were paid once, when the house was bought into the SCI. Buying a share of that existing company is not a property transfer, so it does not trigger them again.
Will I pay French wealth tax on a share?
As a non-resident, almost certainly not. IFI applies above €1.3 million of French real estate, and a one-eighth share of even a €5 million villa values at roughly €625,000. As a French resident it is a different question entirely — you are assessed on worldwide real estate above the same threshold, primary residence included, so a share can push you over. Model it before you buy.
How much does a co-ownership share in France cost?
From €119,000. Across the 22 French homes we list, MYNE's median is €179,000, &Hamlet's €285,000 and Pacaso's $728,500. Paris Property Group's Saint-Germain apartment is €299,000 for a 1/13 share carrying four weeks a year. Running costs where published are €298 to €472 a month at MYNE and €369 to €560 at &Hamlet.
What is an SCI?
A Société Civile Immobilière — the standard French company for holding property collectively. It owns the house and is registered against it; you own a share of the company. It predates co-ownership as a product by decades and French notaries deal with them routinely. Paris Property Group is the exception among the operators we list: its title sits in a US association rather than an SCI.
Can I rent out my French co-ownership home?
Usually not. &Hamlet prohibits letting, Pacaso does not allow owner rentals, and Paris Property Group's agreements prohibit it — and Paris short-term-let law would make it difficult regardless. MYNE permits it on many properties, subject to the local commune's rules. France is the market where letting income is least likely to be available.
Does a share give me the right to live in France?
No. It confers no residency status of any kind. Non-EU passport holders are subject to the Schengen 90 days in any 180 rule exactly as any visitor is.
How long does the purchase take?
Four to eight weeks from reservation to completion for a cash buyer. There is no French equivalent of the Spanish NIE to wait for, which is why a French purchase often moves faster. Financing adds four to eight weeks.
Should I buy in Paris or on the coast?
They are different products. The coast means a whole villa, eighths, from €119,000, with more homes to choose between. Paris means an apartment, and a choice between Pacaso's eighths with no cap on nights and Paris Property Group's 1/13 share carrying four fixed-and-floating weeks in Saint-Germain. Decide what you want the property to be first; the operator follows from that.