How to buy a co-ownership share in France

What you would actually own

You own a real share of the home — an eighth, a quarter — not a right to use it. You can sell it, pass it on to your heirs, and it rises and falls in value with the house. The legal set-up is arranged by our partner for each home and walked through with you before you buy.

The set-up is not the same for every home: one of our Paris partners, for example, sells shares smaller than the eighths everyone else sells, with a different tax path that suits American buyers in particular. Ask how it works for the specific home.

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 purchase agreement. The home's ownership documents 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

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

The entry price in France is €119,000, and every home under €200,000 comes from the same partner. 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. These depend on the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy. Our Paris specialist partner quotes closing costs of around 1–2% of the share price on its home; for any other home, ask for the figure before you reserve.

Tax, honestly

This section is general information, not personal tax advice. How tax works depends on the country and the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy, and your position depends on your residency, your other property and the treaty between your country and France. We recommend independent advice: take it before you sign.

When you buy: purchase taxes depend on the home's legal set-up; ask for them before you reserve.

While you own it: taxe foncière is a running cost of the home shared between the owners. Whether you have any French filing of your own depends on the home's legal set-up and your residency.

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 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. More here.

When you die: the share passes to your heirs. French succession rules are more prescriptive than most, and the home's ownership documents interact with them — this is the single best reason to have your own lawyer read them 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. Most of the partners we list here do not allow owners to let: some prohibit it outright, and the Paris specialist's agreements prohibit renting weeks — and Paris short-term-let law would make it difficult in any case, because the city requires specific permits and an illegal let puts every co-owner at risk. One partner permits letting on many of its properties, subject to the local rules, which in a French commune can be as tight as anywhere. We will tell you the rule for each home.

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

Financing depends on the partner. One says a French share can be mortgaged much as a traditional purchase can, and offers its own deferred-payment plan, which carries interest. Another works with a lending bank and allows only individual shares to be pledged, never the whole property. A third arranges financing for its buyers. The Paris specialist offers no share financing at all — treat that home as a cash purchase, which it is.

Which part of France, and from whom

The Côte d'Azur is where the depth is: two of our partners between them list well over a dozen homes there, from €119,000 to €565,000. One partner's are all large — four bedrooms and up — and the other's run smaller and cheaper.

The Alps means Portes du Soleil, where Morzine homes from one of our partners 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. One partner's apartments sell eighths with no cap on nights. Another partner's single central Paris apartment sells a smaller share carrying four weeks — two fixed and two floating — 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?

It depends on the home's legal set-up, which our partner explains before you buy. On a whole existing French property the notaire's fees and droits de mutation run to roughly 7.5 to 8%; ask for the purchase costs of the specific home before you reserve.

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 20 French homes we list, the median share is €179,000 with one partner, €285,000 with another and $728,500 for the Paris apartments sold in eighths; the central Paris apartment is €299,000 for a smaller share carrying four weeks a year. Running costs where published are €298 to €472 a month with one partner and €369 to €560 with another.

What exactly do I own?

A real share of the home — an eighth, a quarter — not a right to use it. You can sell it, pass it on to your heirs, and it rises and falls in value with the house. The legal set-up is arranged by our partner for each home and walked through with you before you buy.

Can I rent out my French co-ownership home?

Usually not. Most of the partners we list in France do not allow owner letting — and in Paris, short-term-let law would make it difficult regardless. One partner 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 eighths with no cap on nights and a smaller share carrying four fixed-and-floating weeks in central Paris, each from a different partner. Decide what you want the property to be first; the partner follows from that.