In Paris, most sales concern a co-owned unit, often in an older building. The file therefore matters as much as the apartment, with the surveys specific to pre-war buildings, the co-ownership documents, the multi-year works plan and the City’s pre-emption right. Preparing it upfront means a calmer sale, with no last-minute renegotiation.
Surveys for an older building
The technical survey file gathers the reports the law requires depending on the age and nature of the property. For a Haussmann or older apartment, three of them come up almost every time.
- The lead exposure report, for a home built before 1 January 1949
- The asbestos report, for a building permit issued before 1 July 1997
- The reports on the indoor electrical and gas installations, when they are more than fifteen years old
Add the Carrez private floor area, mandatory for a co-owned unit, and the energy performance certificate, whose rating weighs on the value of an apartment intended for letting.
The co-ownership documents
A Paris buyer examines the building as closely as the apartment. Alongside the co-ownership rules, the seller provides the general meeting minutes for the last three years, the summary sheet, the maintenance log and the statement of sums due drawn up by the managing agent. A complete file from the first viewing keeps a question on charges or works from delaying the offer.
The multi-year works plan
Since 1 January 2025, every residential co-ownership more than fifteen years old must in principle adopt a draft multi-year works plan, whatever its number of units. Facade, roof, lift, energy renovation, the document schedules what lies ahead for the building over ten years, and the buyer reads it to gauge future calls for funds.
The City’s pre-emption right
Paris holds an urban pre-emption right. Before the sale, a declaration of intent to sell is sent to the City, in practice by the notaire on the seller’s behalf, and the City has two months from receipt to decide. Its silence counts as a waiver. This period fits between the preliminary contract and the deed.
An apartment let or intended for letting
For an investor buyer, two rules matter. Rent control, in force in Paris since 1 July 2019, caps the rent of a residential lease by neighbourhood, and its continuation beyond the experimental period awaits a new law. The energy performance certificate then governs letting, as a G-rated home can no longer be let since 1 January 2025, class F from 2028 and class E from 2034.
Tax on the sale
The gain on an apartment that is not the seller’s main home is taxed under the rules set out in our capital gains tax guide, whether or not the seller lives in France, and the notaire deducts it from the price. The agency’s terms are on our Fees page.
Liberty House supports your sale in Paris, from a reasoned valuation to the signing of the deed, from its head office on the avenue des Champs-Élysées.
This guide describes the general framework for information, based on service-public.gouv.fr and paris.fr, reviewed on 28 October 2026. Rules change and depend on your property, and your notaire draws up the exact list of documents.