French Real Estate Glossary

Apartments in Nice to rent

Buying French real estate is a simple process but there is likely to be some French vocabulary that you may not be familiar with. we hope that this glossary of French property, real estate and associated legal terms will help.

A

Abonnement - Standing charge, fo gas, water, electricity etc
Achat en Viager - Buying a property by paying a lifetime annuity with the vendor as named beneficiary.
Acompte - Non refundable deposit
Acte - Deed or legal document
Acte de vente - Deed of sale or conveyance document
Agent immobilier - Real estate agent
Aggrandissement - Extension
Aménagé - Converted
Appartement - Apartment or flat
Aquéreur - The buyer
Arrière Pays - Hinterland, not be the sea front
Ascenseur - lift or elevator
Atelier - workshop
Attestation de propriété - proof of ownership of French real estate property
Authentique - Authentic, i.e. a document signed in presence of a notary
Avec tout le confort - "with all the mod cons"
Avocat - lawyer

B

Bail - Lease
Balcon - balcony
Banlieu - suburb
Bastide - Fortified stone house
Bâtiment - building
Bergerie - sheep-pen or sheepfold
Bilan - survey
Bois - wood
Bon état - good condition
Bord de la mer - by the sea
Buanderie - laundry or utility room
Bureau - study

C

Cabinet WC - lavatory
Campagne - countryside
Carré - square ...as in "square metre"
Caution - security deposit / guarantee
Cave - cellar
Cellier - storeroom or cellar
Centre des impôts - Tax office
Certificat d'Urbanisme - outline town planning permission
Chambre - bedroom
Charges - utilities such as insurance, water, gas etc
Chaudière - Boiler (water heater)
Chauffage (central) - heating (central)
Cheminée - fireplace or chimney
Clause suspensive - conditional clause in a contract which must be met to validate the contract
Climatisation - air conditioning
Compromis de vente - preliminary contract of sale for a property
Comptable - accountant
Compteur - Meter (gas, water, electric)
Congélateur - Freezer
Copropriété - co-ownership of communal property, similar to a condominium in USA
Cour - yard or courtyard
Cuisine - kitchen
Cuisine américaine - modern fitted kitchen
Cuisine meublée - kitchen with fitted "white goods" (cooker, fridge etc)
Cuisinière - cooker or stove
Cumulus - immersion water heater and tank
Cuve - (oil) tank

D

Débarass - box room
Décorée - decorated (ready to move into)
Déménagement - moving house
Dépendance - outbuilding
Dernière étage - top floor
Devis - written quote for work to be done
Douche - shower
Droit d'enregistrement - stamp duty (property purchase tax) paid by buyer on French real estate
Droit de passage - right of way

E

écurie - stable
Emprunt - loan
Entrée - entry hallway
Entretien - maintenance
Escalier - stairway
étable - stable or cowshed
étage - storey or floor
étang - lake, pond or lagoon

F

Facture - bill or invoice
Fenêtre - window
Ferme - farm
Fosse septique - septic tank
Four - oven
Four à pain - bread oven
Frais - fees

G

Gardien - caretaker
Gaz de ville - mains gas
Gîte - self catering accommodation
Grange - Barn
Grenier - attic or loft

H

Hameau - hamlet
Hectare - 10,000 square metres, about 2.47 acres
Hors frais - fees not included
Hôtel de ville - town/city hall
Hôtel particulier - elegant town house
Hypothèque - loan or mortgage secured on a property

I

Immobilier - French real estate agent
Impôt - tax
Installation - fixture or fitting

J

Jardin - garden

L

Laverie - laundry room
Location - tenancy
Locataire - tenant
Logement - accommodation
Lotissement - housing estate
(à) Louer - to rent
Loyer - rent

M

Maçon - builder
Maison - house
Maison de chasse - hunting lodge
Maison de Maître - "Gentleman's residence", a large imposing house
Maison neuve - new house
Maison secondaire - second or holiday home
Maire - Mayor
Mandat - mandate or power of attorney
Manoir - manor house
Marquise - porch
Menuisier - carpenter or joiner
Meublé - furnished
Meubles - furniture
Montant - amount (to be paid)
Moulin - watermill
Moulin à vent - windmill
Mur - wall

N

Notaire - notary (French real estate conveyancing legal professional)

O

Offre d'achat - offer to purchase

P

Parcelle - plot of land
Parquet - wooden flooring
Pelouse - lawn
Permis de construire - building permit
Perron - flight of steps up to a mansion
Pièce - room
Pierre - stone
Piscine - swimmong pool
Plan pied - single storey
Plancher - wooden floor
Plomberie - plumbing
Portes Fenêtres - french windows
Potager - kitchen garden
Poubelle - trash can or dustbin
Poutre - beam (wooden)
Prêt - loan
Prix demadée - asking price
Promoteur - French real estate property developer
Puits - well

R

Rangement - storage
Réduit - box room
Remise de clefs - handing over the keys to the new owner of French real estate
(à) Rénover - to renovate
Rénové - renovated
Restaurer - to restore
Rez-de-chausée - ground floor

S

Salle - room
Salle de bains - bathroom
Salle de douche - shower room
Salle à manger - dining room
Salle de sejour - living room
Salon - sitting room, lounge or drawing room
Sol - ground
Source - spring (water)
Sous sol - basement
Studio - one room flat or bedsit

T

Tapis - carpet
Taxe d'habitation - dwelling tax (based on occupancy)
Taxes foncière - French real estate tax
Témoin - show home
Terrain - grounds, land or plot
Terrain à bâtir - building land
Terrasse - terrace
Toilette - toilet
Toit(ure) - roof

V

Vendeur - seller or vendor
Véranda - conservatory or sun-room extension
Verger - orchard
Volet - shutter

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