Client's Question: “I’ve heard that when I buy a house I will get a survey report; what will this cover?”

When a property is sold in France, the owner is obliged to commission and pay for a set of ‘diagnostiques’, which cover certain compulsory elements of a property. These include reports on the presence of lead and asbestos, the condition of the gas and electrical installations and whether the property is at risk from environmental factors such as flooding. There will also be an inspection for the presence of termites, in those affected areas, generally south of the Loire. The ‘diagnostiques’ will also include the DPE rating, the ‘Diagnostique Performance Energetique’, which assesses the energy efficiency of the property.

It should be pointed out that these reports make no reference to the structure of the property, nor is there any onus on the part of the vendor to put right any anomalies noted in the reports. They are provided merely for your information.

Blog submitted by: Sharon at Cle France.