Glossary of French Property Terms
A
Abonnement - Standing charge/subscription (utilities)
Acte de vente/Acte authentique - Final deed of sale
Agence immobilière - Estate agency
Agent immobilier - Estate agent
Aménagement - Development/fitting out
Appartement - Apartment/flat
Arrêté - Official order/decree
Assainissement - Sewerage/drainage
Assurance habitation - Home insurance
Attestation - Certificate/attestation
B
Bail - Lease
Bastide - Traditional Provençal country house
Bâtiment - Building
Bien immobilier - Real estate property
Bilan énergétique - Energy assessment
Bornage - Boundary marking
Bureau - Office
C
Cadastre - Land registry
Carrez (Loi) - Law governing property measurements
Cave - Cellar
Certificat d'urbanisme - Planning certificate
Chambre - Bedroom
Charges - Service charges/fees
Château - Castle/grand country house
Cheminée - Fireplace/chimney
Climatisation - Air conditioning
Clôture - Fence/enclosure
Colombage - Half-timbered construction
Commerces - Shops
Compromis de vente - Preliminary sales agreement
Conditions suspensives - Get-out clauses
Copropriété - Co-ownership/condominium
Couloir - Corridor/hallway
Coup de cœur - Love at first sight property
Cour - Courtyard
Cuisine - Kitchen
Cuisine équipée - Fitted kitchen
D
DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique) - Energy performance certificate
Décennale - 10-year building guarantee
Déclaration préalable - Prior declaration (planning)
Délai de rétractation - Cooling-off period
Démembrement - Split ownership
Dépendances - Outbuildings
Dépôt de garantie - Security deposit
Devis - Quote/estimate
Diagnostics - Mandatory surveys
Disposition - Layout
Domaine - Estate
Dommages-ouvrage - Building works insurance
Droits de mutation - Transfer taxes
E
Eau - Water
Electricité - Electricity
Emprunt - Loan/mortgage
Escalier - Staircase
Étage - Floor/storey
État des lieux - Inventory/condition report
Expert - Surveyor/valuer
F
FAI (Frais d'Agence Inclus) - Agency fees included
Fermette - Small farmhouse
Fosse septique - Septic tank
Frais de notaire - Notary fees
Fructus - Right to income from property
G
Garage - Garage
Garantie - Guarantee/warranty
Gaz - Gas
Géomètre - Land surveyor
Gîte - Holiday cottage
Grange - Barn
Grenier - Attic
H
Habitable - Habitable/liveable
Hectare - Hectare (10,000m²)
Honoraires - Professional fees
Hors d'eau/hors d'air - Watertight/weathertight
Hypothèque - Mortgage
I
Immeuble - Building (usually apartments)
Impôts - Taxes
Indivision - Joint ownership
IFI (Impôt sur la Fortune Immobilière) - Wealth tax on property
Isolation - Insulation
J
Jardin - Garden
Jouissance - Use and enjoyment
L
Lauze - Traditional stone roof tiles
Livre foncier - Land register
Location - Rental
Locataire - Tenant
Logement - Accommodation
Longère - Traditional long farmhouse
Lotissement - Housing development
M
Maçon - Mason/builder
Mairie - Town hall
Maison - House
Maison de maître - Master's house (bourgeois)
Maison de village - Village house
Mandat - Agency agreement
Manoir - Manor house
Mas - Traditional Provençal farmhouse
Menuisier - Carpenter/joiner
Meubles - Furniture
Mitoyenneté - Party wall/shared boundary
Mobilier - Furnishings
N
Neuf - New
Net vendeur - Net to seller (before fees)
Nue-propriété - Bare ownership
Notaire - Notary (public official)
O
Offre d'achat - Purchase offer
Ordures ménagères - Household waste
P
Parcelle - Plot of land
Pavillon - Detached suburban house
Permis de construire - Building permit
Pièce - Room
Pigeonnier - Pigeon tower/dovecote
Piscine - Swimming pool
Placard - Cupboard
Plan - Plan/map
PLU (Plan Local d'Urbanisme) - Local urban planning scheme
Plus-value - Capital gain
Portail - Gate
Poutre - Beam
Préemption - Pre-emption right
Prêt - Loan
Primo-accédant - First-time buyer
Promesse de vente - Promise to sell
Propriétaire - Owner
Propriété - Property
Q
Quartier - Neighborhood/district
Quittance - Receipt
R
Ravalement - Facade renovation
RDC (Rez-de-chaussée) - Ground floor
Rénovation - Renovation
Résidence - Residence/apartment complex
Restauration - Restoration
S
SAFER - Agency controlling rural land sales
SCI (Société Civile Immobilière) - Property holding company
Salle de bain - Bathroom
Salle d'eau - Shower room
Salon - Living room
Séjour - Living room
Servitude - Easement/right of way
Sous-sol - Basement
Surface habitable - Living area
Syndic - Property management company
T
Tantième - Share of co-ownership
Taxe d'habitation - Residence tax
Taxe foncière - Property tax
Terrain - Land/plot
Terrasse - Terrace
Titre de propriété - Title deed
Toiture - Roof
Tontine - Joint ownership with survivorship
Travaux - Works/renovations
U
Urbanisme - Town planning
Usufruit - Life interest
V
Vente - Sale
Véranda - Conservatory
Vice caché - Hidden defect
Vide sanitaire - Crawl space
Villa - Detached house (usually modern)
Visite - Viewing
Volet - Shutter
W
WC - Toilet
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