France in Focus

The agent has asked us for all the following information, which we no longer have as the house was built in 2011. How can we give it if we don't have it!

>the documents listed below, as this information will help them to make sure they are making the right choice.
They would need the following documents:
The certificate of compliance for the construction of the house as well as the swimming pool.
The invoices and the ten-year builders’ insurance policies (even if the ten-year guarantee is no longer in force).
If the project owner had a soil study carried out, it is essential to include it in the file.
The original plans of the house at the time of the construction (even if they were not carried out exactly as such).
In case you carried out some of the works yourself, please share with me any invoices or certificates you would have at your disposal that would help to make the transaction as transparent as possible.

Is this obligatory to provide?

Do you have a certificate of conformity for the building and pool from your Mairie?

DaveW wrote: ↑Thu Aug 14, 2025 6:59 pm Do you have a certificate of conformity for the building and pool from your Mairie?

We probably have but goodness knows where it is. The maire will have though I'm sure. Ive asked the agent to contact him.

You will need a diagnostic report and probably more. Get the agent to do all this, they take a large amount of money, make them earn it.

We were not given ANY of those things until AFTER we bought the house. The owner was kind enough to provide all of the things on your list (short of the pool as there wasn't one on the property when we bought it) the day we signed the Acte de Vente. It was not a requirement.

Most homes these days are sold "As is." And that is clearly noted on the paperwork. If your agent is not planning on an "As is" sale, he/she would be operating out of the norm - at least for current transactions in this region. A report on the septic tank - if there is one - is requested of the seller by the Notaire as is a current chimney sweep. These should be completed prior to the Acte de Vente. The diagnostics in an as-is sale are very important.

Of course a buyer can make demands for a variety of documentation, depending on the circumstances, but the seller is not obligated to agree to them.

I will say that it is very important to keep documents in a safe place, such as an external hard drive or thumb drive. You never know when you might need the documents. They are often needed in insurance claims and heaven forbid, if there is a fire, if you kept your external hard drive updated, you'd be able to grab your documents and go. We have just made sure ours are up to date with all our important documents as the fire hazard currently is extremely high.

I can't imagine you would be REQUIRED to have those documents. A lot of people buy houses and never see those documents. If a permit for the pool was obtained, there will be a record of it with the Mairie and the Service d'Urbanisme. A permit for construction should also be filed somewhere (Mairie should know).

Best of luck to you.

DaveW wrote: ↑Thu Aug 14, 2025 10:45 pm You will need a diagnostic report and probably more. Get the agent to do all this, they take a large amount of money, make them earn it.

We've had diagnostics done, scored a B rating

@ Manonthemoon, I'm afraid your agent is asking more than what is obligatory, even more than the already impressive and expensive list as provided by the French government.

Quels sont les diagnostics immobiliers à fournir en cas de vente d'un logement ?

Next steps: ask your agent politely - c'est le ton qui fait la musique - if he/she would be so kind as to explain how these demands relate to what Paris thinks is obligatory. Possible future step #2: another agent.

RobertArthur wrote: ↑Fri Aug 15, 2025 10:55 am Possible future step #2: another agent.

I would agree with that.

Since 1996 I have bought and sold three properties and now livening in the fourth and have never heard of these requirements

As @RobertArthur has said, what the agent has asked for is more that what is obligatory. A buyer will want to know that any additional construction has been done legally (we know people that have done work without the permission required). So asking for the certificate of compliance for the construction of the house and the swimming pool is normal, as is doing the diagnostics. As for the rest, that's simply useful info for the buyer, but certainly not required by law.

We've bought and sold several properties in France over the years and found that the people who ask for all sorts of info that is not legally required don't end up as the buyers. The "this information will help them to make sure they are making the right choice" would raise my suspicions. But then perhaps they've never bought before and are being ultra cautious. You're certainly not under any obligation to provide the original plans of the house !