❓ WHAT HAS CHANGED AND WHO IS AFFECTED BY THE INCREASE?
Starting from April 1st, many departments in France will increase registration fees (droits de mutation), often mistakenly referred to as notary fees. However, first-time buyers (primo-accédants) will automatically be exempt from this increase.
Departments have the right to increase the registration fees by 0.5 percentage points. However, this measure will not affect those who:
✅ Buy a home for the first time.
✅ Have not owned their main residence in the past two years.
For example, the Paris City Council has already approved this increase but exempted primo-accédants.
🔎 HOW TO PROVE YOU ARE A PRIMO-ACCÉDANT?
To benefit from the exemption, notaries require proof, but the verification process remains unclear.
“We will ask the buyer for a sworn statement (déclaration sur l’honneur) confirming they have not owned a property in the past two years. But how do we verify the truth of these claims?” asks notary Élodie Frémont.
📌 Notaries are not allowed to request tax returns or property registry information.
🏦 BANKS CAN VERIFY BUT ARE NOT OBLIGED TO
📌 Banks collect tax documents but are not required to share them with notaries.
📌 They need these documents, for example, to issue a 0% loan (PTZ), which is only available to first-time buyers.
“We check as required by the government. The buyer should not have owned property in the past 24 months. For this, we ask for rental receipts (every 6 months) or a certificate from parents if they lived with them,” explains Crédit Agricole.
📜 If the buyer lived rent-free (with parents or friends), they must provide:
• A sworn statement from the homeowner.
• Their ID.
• A cadastral extract or property tax receipt.
⚖ WHAT IF THE PURCHASE IS MADE BY TWO PEOPLE?
If the property is being purchased by two people (partners, spouses), and only one of them is a primo-accédant, it is still unclear whether the exemption will apply to both.
“How do we consider it? If only one of the two is a first-time buyer, will both be exempt, or just one? We are waiting for clarification,” says the notary.
🏛 THE MINISTRY PROMISES A SOLUTION
The Ministry of Territorial Development reassures buyers:
“The exemption rules are the same as for PTZ. In 99% of cases, the buyer will simply bring their loan offer with the PTZ line. For the remaining 1%, we are working on a solution.”
⚠ The Ministry of Finance has yet to provide a final answer on this matter.
🏠 PLANNING TO BUY A PROPERTY? I CAN HELP YOU FIND THE PERFECT OPTION!
📩 Contact me, and we will discuss all the details.
Starting from April 1st, many departments in France will increase registration fees (droits de mutation), often mistakenly referred to as notary fees. However, first-time buyers (primo-accédants) will automatically be exempt from this increase.
Departments have the right to increase the registration fees by 0.5 percentage points. However, this measure will not affect those who:
✅ Buy a home for the first time.
✅ Have not owned their main residence in the past two years.
For example, the Paris City Council has already approved this increase but exempted primo-accédants.
🔎 HOW TO PROVE YOU ARE A PRIMO-ACCÉDANT?
To benefit from the exemption, notaries require proof, but the verification process remains unclear.
“We will ask the buyer for a sworn statement (déclaration sur l’honneur) confirming they have not owned a property in the past two years. But how do we verify the truth of these claims?” asks notary Élodie Frémont.
📌 Notaries are not allowed to request tax returns or property registry information.
🏦 BANKS CAN VERIFY BUT ARE NOT OBLIGED TO
📌 Banks collect tax documents but are not required to share them with notaries.
📌 They need these documents, for example, to issue a 0% loan (PTZ), which is only available to first-time buyers.
“We check as required by the government. The buyer should not have owned property in the past 24 months. For this, we ask for rental receipts (every 6 months) or a certificate from parents if they lived with them,” explains Crédit Agricole.
📜 If the buyer lived rent-free (with parents or friends), they must provide:
• A sworn statement from the homeowner.
• Their ID.
• A cadastral extract or property tax receipt.
⚖ WHAT IF THE PURCHASE IS MADE BY TWO PEOPLE?
If the property is being purchased by two people (partners, spouses), and only one of them is a primo-accédant, it is still unclear whether the exemption will apply to both.
“How do we consider it? If only one of the two is a first-time buyer, will both be exempt, or just one? We are waiting for clarification,” says the notary.
🏛 THE MINISTRY PROMISES A SOLUTION
The Ministry of Territorial Development reassures buyers:
“The exemption rules are the same as for PTZ. In 99% of cases, the buyer will simply bring their loan offer with the PTZ line. For the remaining 1%, we are working on a solution.”
⚠ The Ministry of Finance has yet to provide a final answer on this matter.
🏠 PLANNING TO BUY A PROPERTY? I CAN HELP YOU FIND THE PERFECT OPTION!
📩 Contact me, and we will discuss all the details.