Article

After your offer on a house in France: what happens before you get the keys?

Your offer on a house in France has been accepted. That feels like a breakthrough, and it is — but it is not the end of the buying process France requires. From this point on, a fixed sequence of steps follows, each with its own deadlines and conditions: the compromis de vente, the legal cooling-off period, the financing condition, possible pre-emption rights, and finally the acte authentique at the notary's office. In this article we walk you through those steps, with the official deadlines explained.

We write this article from our own practice in Dordogne, Lot and Corrèze, where we guide buyers from the first viewing through to the handover of the keys. This is general information, not personal legal or tax advice; for the specific details of your purchase, the notary remains the right party to ask.

Stone house with blue shutters and a green front garden — From the moment your offer is accepted, a sequence of steps with its own deadlines begins.

Have you just made an offer, or just heard it has been accepted? It helps to know now what will be asked of you over the coming weeks.

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An accepted offer: what already binds you, and what does not?

An offre d'achat accepted by the seller already means more than a non-binding agreement to keep talking. Once you and the seller agree on the price and on the exact property being sold, an agreement exists in principle — even though it still has to be put into a signed contract. Do not assume an offer can simply be withdrawn without consequence once the seller has accepted it. Before making an offer, ask to have explained exactly what is still open and what is not.

After the accepted offer, a preliminary contract usually follows: the compromis de vente (a bilateral sale agreement) or, less often for a house, a promesse unilatérale de vente. The difference matters: with a compromis, both parties already commit to the sale, whereas with a promesse unilatérale only the seller commits, and the buyer keeps the choice for an agreed period — usually against payment of an indemnité d'immobilisation. In practice, the compromis de vente explained above is by far the most commonly used contract when buying a house in France.

The compromis de vente: what it contains

The compromis de vente sets out the sale: the precise description of the property, the price, the payment method, the planned date of the acte authentique, and the conditions (conditions suspensives) under which the sale does or does not proceed — financing, sometimes a planning permit, sometimes the outcome of a survey. The mandatory technical reports on the property also belong to this file. Read this contract carefully, or have it explained to you, before signing: from the moment of signature, the agreed deadlines and obligations apply, with the legal cooling-off period as the main exception in the buyer's favour.

Ten days' cooling-off: from exactly which moment?

A non-professional buyer of a residential property has, after signing the compromis (or promesse), a legal cooling-off period of ten calendar days. The starting point matters: when notified by registered letter, the period starts the day after the first presentation of the letter, not on the date of signature and not only when you actually collect the letter. Hand delivery, for example through the notary, has its own starting point. If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it is extended to the next working day. Always have the notary confirm the exact start and end dates.

During these ten days you, as the buyer, may withdraw without giving a reason and without penalty. The mere passing of the cooling-off period does not itself trigger a penalty: you are simply bound by the contract as signed, together with its other conditions. If you withdraw afterwards without a condition that allows it, that can have consequences, such as losing the deposit.

The deposit (dépôt de garantie)

When the compromis is signed, a deposit is often requested, in practice usually up to 10% of the purchase price. This amount is not a legal requirement but a clause agreed in the contract; it is paid into the notary's escrow account or another designated custodian, not directly to the seller. At the signing of the acte authentique, this amount is deducted from the purchase price. If you withdraw within the legal cooling-off period, it is returned to you. If the sale later falls through because of a condition that was not fulfilled — for instance a genuine mortgage refusal — the deposit should also be returned, provided you met the agreed conditions.

Financing: a minimum of one month, often 45 to 60 days

If you finance the purchase with a loan, the compromis will in principle include a financing condition. The legal minimum period to obtain the loan is one month; in practice, a period of 45 to 60 days is often agreed, depending on the bank and the complexity of the file. If this period is not enough and you have an actual refusal from the bank — matching the conditions agreed in the contract, such as loan amount, maximum interest rate and number of applications — you can withdraw without penalty. A preliminary feasibility assessment from the bank is not the same as a definitive loan offer; plan accordingly.

Manor house with a round tower and a park-like lawn — Between the compromis and the acte authentique, financing, surveys and any pre-emption rights run in parallel.

Are you in the middle of this stage and wondering how the deadlines apply to your file? Feel free to send us your question.

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Pre-emption rights: the DPU and SAFER can add time

Besides financing, pre-emption rights can also affect the timeline. In certain cases the notary notifies the commune under the droit de préemption urbain (DPU): the commune can then, within a set deadline, decide to buy the property itself at the agreed price. For agricultural land and certain rural properties, a pre-emption right held by SAFER can also apply, with its own procedure and a possible price revision. These are not automatic delays for every house, but they are steps the notary routinely checks, and when they apply, they add time to the process.

Surveys and the technical file

While financing is being arranged, the technical documents are also reviewed and, if needed, completed. These form part of the dossier de diagnostic technique (DDT): a set of mandatory technical surveys, not a valuation and not a full structural survey. Which parts are required depends on the property:

DPE (energy performance certificate): a DPE issued before 1 July 2021 is no longer valid in 2026; DPEs from that date onward are in principle valid for ten years.
Energy audit: mandatory when selling a single-family home or a wholly owned building rated E, F or G; the obligation for rating E has applied since 1 January 2025.
SPANC report: for an individual wastewater system (septic tank), this report must be less than three years old at the acte authentique; if remedial work is required, the buyer generally has one year after the deed to carry it out.
État des risques: must be no older than six months where this document is required, and updated if the situation has changed by the time of signing.
Land registry data and, where relevant, a procès-verbal de bornage: useful for land or a rural property to understand exactly what is being sold; a boundary survey by a géomètre-expert is not mandatory for every sale.

Ask for the full reports, including the parts that could not be assessed, and have any unclear points explained by the notary or a qualified professional.

Property tax (taxe foncière): proration is custom, not a legal rule

A question that often comes up: who pays the taxe foncière in the year of the sale? For tax purposes, whoever owns the property on 1 January of that year remains liable for the full year. In practice, buyer and seller often agree between themselves on a pro-rata split in the acte authentique; this is a contractual custom, not a legal requirement, and it does not change who the tax authority actually bills. The taxe d'habitation, abolished for main residences, now only applies to second homes, and there too the situation on 1 January is what counts.

The acte authentique: signing, paying, keys

The sale becomes final with the acte authentique signed at the notary's office. The notary reads out the deed or sends it to you in advance; if your French is not sufficient, arrange a sworn interpreter in good time. Before signing, you transfer the remaining purchase price and acquisition costs to the notary's escrow account; this money is paid out to the seller on the day of signing, once the deed has been signed. After signing, you receive the keys, unless the compromis specifies a different handover arrangement.

The notary then registers the transfer of ownership with the land registry; this is an administrative step that usually takes a few weeks to a few months after signing, without affecting your ownership or the handover of the keys.

Ochre-stone villa with a terrace, pool and valley view — After the acte authentique is signed, you receive the keys; registration at the land registry follows afterwards as an administrative step.

Timeline: from offer to keys

Offer made and accepted by the seller.
Drafting and signing of the compromis de vente, with the deposit paid into the escrow account.
Ten calendar days' legal cooling-off period for the buyer, starting the day after proper notification.
Review of pre-emption rights (DPU, possibly SAFER) by the notary.
Completion of financing, usually within 45 to 60 days, with a legal minimum of one month.
Finalising and checking the technical file and other mandatory documents.
Signing of the acte authentique: payment via the notary, handover of the keys.
Registration of the ownership transfer at the land registry (administrative, after signing).

Checklist for this stage

Do you know exactly on which day your ten-day cooling-off period ends?
Does the compromis include a financing condition with a deadline and terms that suit your situation?
Is it clear where your deposit goes, and when it is refunded if a condition is not met?
Have you checked whether a pre-emption right (DPU or SAFER) could apply, and what that means for the timeline?
Are all parts of the technical file (DPE, energy audit where required, SPANC report, état des risques) present and valid?
Do you know who is legally liable for the taxe foncière this year, and what has been contractually agreed about proration?
Have you arranged an interpreter for the acte authentique, if needed?
Do you know how and when to transfer the remaining balance to the notary?

Are you at this stage and would you like to go through your situation with us before taking the next step?

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