Selling house in France is there such a thing ‘Buy as Seen’ that can form part of the contract?
Yes, see here
Or here
Thank you for those two detailed items,I was just curious.
Now I know I could use that if ever I was to sell if………… I finish renovating completely 
However and I may have read it wrong, you now have to declare things like neighbourly conflicts, hidden problems that YOU know about but have not rectified and anything else that could prejudice the selling process. Vice cache remains in force especially if proved you knew about something but did not declare it and the same for the people you buy from.
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For 20 years now I think which is crazy.
Sounds reasonable but the twenty years seems rather excessive.
In effect every house is bought as seen.
Then, there are certain laws in place to protect the buyer from pitfalls that cannot be “seen” - vices cachés to protect agains defects that have been deliberately hidden from view by the seller, and assurance décennale to protect against poor workmanship that causes problems within 10 years of completion, which again would not necessarily be visible and that the seller may not be of aware of,
If you are doing any major renovation work yourself, the lack of décennale cover (which as a private individual it is next to impossible to obtain) could potentially cause issues if you sell within 10 years of completion. Sometimes buyers will agree to waive their rights in exchange for a substantial reduction in price, but there has been endless legal wrangling over the validity of signing a waiver of a right to something that is set down in law as a legal obligation,
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Of course, but selling a house dans l’état is more to signal strongly that you will not negotiate over small repairs and changes or knock money off. As a small example when we bought the house we are in now we insisted that some clouded panes of glass be replaced, the barn be completely cleared, and a few other small things that I forget now. We didn’t want to bother with this stuff straight after moving,
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Yes that is true, it is something you can make clear at the negotiating stage, but once the price has been agreed I am not sure that the inclusion of the phrase ‘dans l’état’ would carry any weight if written into the contract. Simply, the contract would reflect what has been agreed, as is always the case.
Surely the point is to simplify negotiation? There is none - or much reduced. You have the house, the DPE, the list of works envisaged and the other party either buys it or not.
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We went through extraordinary hoops (at the buyers insistence) when we sold our last house, they employed a UK solicitor to check the Compromis and Acte, got a French registered UK surveyor to carry out a survey and spent three hours inspecting the house the day before the Acte was signed, all told the time between agreeing a price and finally handing over the keys in the Notaire’s office was the best part of 8 months.
I appear to have misunderstood the post. I took this to be a renovated house that the seller wishes to sell “as is”. I took this to mean, expecting the seller to accept the house as it stands. But if the renovation is DIY then selling as is does not negate the need for decennale insurance on work already done, that is not a thing that can be negotiated.
Entirely agree, but that a different point.
I was only wondering if ‘buy as seen’ actually existed here in France.
I don’t have any intention of selling as I love my house and location and my French neighbours are amazing.
Apart from electrics all renovation is by ourselves. Have done 4 in uk in past all period, one over 400yrs old. So I presume that would cause a problem if for some reason I suddenly had to sell , or even for my heirs ?
In reality everything is negotiable and has a price.
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Two good friends of ours have just bought a corps de ferme in a neighbouring commune - they’re from Rotterdam and are hard-nosed rather than idealistic Dutch,
Robust negotiations ensued when they discovered the agent had omitted to mention that the house lacked mains water and a fosse’! His excuse was that the sellers hadn’t told him!
If you sell within 10 years of doing any DIY work you have to cover the decennial insurance yourself. And may need extra diagnostics to show that things are ‘au norme’.
Thank you - Very interesting, a fair warning before buying a French property. No one wants any legal wrangling after the fact - too emotionally exhausting.
Securing a property with eyes open to the regional laws is a must. I am considering a re-location from IOM. I have rose-tinted glasses when looking at properties online. Although I prefer purchasing a property, perhaps renting is a better option.
I have an Australian pension; Renting my property maybe considered income no matter outgoings and therefore could forfeit the pension. It seems there’s plenty of investigative planning before having a French lifestyle - that and Brexit - don’t get me started.
Thank you for your posting - I’m learning about pros and cons of property purchase. I’ve stopped thinking about glorious renovation visions in consideration of firsthand encounters or pitfalls - things to be aware of.
If it’s a dream then don’t abandon it, just do it with careful planning, an adequate bank balance and wide open eyes. We renovated a total wreck attached to our house and thoroughly enjoyed (most of) it. It was a great way to integrate into the village, to meet people, build up contacts and we now have a 3 bedroom, 3 story, 4* rated gîte that we are proud of. Plus a plumber who will appear within hours if we need him - invaluable!
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That’s sounds a great success, well done.
Dreams are still in my minds eye.
My son is in Normandy for a short trip and I’ve asked him to look around and if he has the motive follow up a house for sale link I’ve found.
He was saying how good it was in his evening walk on a video call last night.
I’m retired and taken up pottery from a career in design - and no partner - I can decorate but my restoration days are over.
My motive to move is to leave UK and the whole downtrodden mindset - and hopefully my twin sons may join me periodically- I am dreaming all sorts atm.
My sons return back to base a few times - I would love them to happily marry and work with their own dreams. I guess there are many of us retired and having returning ‘adult kids’.
What could be lovelier than a French house, with social people and things happening, and visiting grandchildren 
BTW my house is under siege with builders now - I’ve renovated in the past - I’d forgotten the dust and debris - we have wonderful builders and I hope everything is all good again very soon.