How can I find out who the owner of a property is in France?
There are a few methods you can use to ascertain ownership
To find out who owns a house or appartment the easiest way is to knock on the door and ask
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Reader Question: How can I identify the owner of a property and approach them to explore selling it? Must I use estate agents?
France has a long tradition of property exchanging hands without estate agents. Around 35% of all transactions are done this way.
Once a price is agreed, notaires are informed and the sale goes ahead with the compromis de vente or promesse de vente, followed by the acte de vente.
To find out who owns a property and if it is for sale, the easiest way is to knock on the door and ask. If it is empty, enquire with the neighbours. You might even get a bit of gossip about the owners, why the property is empty, and in some cases the owner’s telephone number.
On other occasions you may have the door shut in your face and be forced to beat a hasty retreat from a ferocious dog.
A more formal way is to research the property on the commune’s cadastre map and find its plot number. You can then ask at the mairie if they have details of who the owner is.
Mairies are allowed to give out names, but not other information about the owners.
For more details, contact the service de la publicité foncière for the commune. Make sure you have the relevant cadastre references.
You can find recent property sale prices via the Demande de valeurs foncières tool on the government website.
Access to the database is free, and enables individuals to track property price trends, and estimate the value of a property by seeing what other similar ones nearby sold for, which may help you suggest a fair price.
