Types of Properties and Transactions: acquérir, louer, céder

Types of Real Estate Properties and Transactions in French

Residential Real Estate (L'immobilier résidentiel)

Classification of Housing in France

Studio — studio apartment (1 room + kitchen + bathroom)
F1, F2, F3... — apartment type by number of rooms:

• F1 = 1 room (studio or one-room apartment)
• F2 = 2 rooms (one-room with separate kitchen)
• F3 = 3 rooms = 2 bedrooms + living room
• T2, T3 = the same (T = pièces)

Maison individuelle — detached house
Maison mitoyenne — terraced/semi-detached house/townhouse
Résidence principale / secondaire — primary / secondary residence

DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique)

Classes from A (best) to G (worst). From 2025, housing with a G rating cannot be rented out in France.

Commercial Real Estate (L'immobilier commercial)

Bureaux — offices:

• Grade A, B, C — office classification
• CBD (Central Business District) — central business district
• La Défense — the largest business district in Europe (Paris)

Retail:

• un commerce de pied d'immeuble — retail unit on the ground floor
• un centre commercial — shopping center
• une grande surface — large store

Logistics:

• un entrepôt — warehouse
• une plateforme logistique — logistics center
• une zone d'activités — industrial zone

Legal Forms of Transactions

Achat (purchase)

Stages of a French sale and purchase transaction:

1. Compromis de vente — preliminary sale and purchase agreement (no notary, but mandatory)
2. Délai de rétractation — cooling-off period (10 days for individuals)
3. Conditions suspensives — suspensive conditions (primarily — obtaining a mortgage)
4. Acte authentique — notarized execution of the transaction at the notaire (mandatory in France!)
5. Remise des clés — handover of the keys

Role of the notary: In France, the notary is a state officer without whom the transaction is impossible. The notary verifies legality, registers in the official register, withholds and transfers all taxes.

Location (rental)

Bail résidentiel (residential lease):

• Duration: 3 years minimum (unfurnished) / 1 year (furnished)
• Notice period: 3 months (owner), 1 month (tenant furnished), 3 months (tenant unfurnished)
• Security deposit: 1 month excl. charges (unfurnished) / 2 months excl. charges (furnished)

Bail commercial (commercial lease):

• Minimum duration: 9 years (3-6-9)
• The tenant can terminate every 3 years (hence the name "bail 3-6-9")
• Droit au bail — right to the lease (paid upon transfer)

Object Description Upon Sale

Sample advertising text:
Appartement de standing, 120 m², 3 chambres, au 8ème étage avec ascenseur. Vue panoramique sur la mer. Cuisine équipée, double vitrage, parquet, balcon de 15 m². Très bon DPE (classe B). Résidence sécurisée avec gardien. Parking double box en sous-sol. Prix: 850 000 € FAI (frais d'agence inclus). À saisir!